


Right Hand of the Admiral

by tronzler



Series: Rebel Inferno Squad [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inferno Squad, Rebel AU, del is a sweetheart in all verses, mostly original storyline?, reverse au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-04-24 21:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 65,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14364258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tronzler/pseuds/tronzler
Summary: "Since losing so many on Scarif," Hask said, folding his arms.  "The stakes are a lot higher now.""Not just for the general, but all of us."  Del leaned back on his heels, looking up at Hask.  "You got your wish though.  Send all of this up in smoke."He chewed on the inside of his lip, but then he faced Del too, forcing on a smile.  "I don't just like blowing things up, Del.""Just when things blow up spectacularly?"Their orders were to destroy the Kuat shipyard.  It's hard to know which orders to follow when they come from the Rebellion and the Empire.  The best order is to trust no one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty, here we go. But it's so much fun to take these characters and spin them around in the universe.
> 
> Many, many thanks to amy_rashelle for her super editing powers.

Right Hand of the Admiral

 

Chapter 1

They had arrive on Kuat just ahead of the storm.  Clouds were active and swollen above the capital city and the crowded military spaceport but it hadn't started raining yet.  The storm could burst at any moment.

Commander Gideon Hask was familiar with his home planet's turbulent seasons and standing outside of the spaceport, he could already smell the rain coming. 

The stormtrooper next to him nudged his side with her elbow in protest.  "Enjoying the view, Commander, or has it been so long since you've been to Kuat that you're lost?" she asked.

It was a breach of decorum and they were still in uniform with him her superior but all he did was smirk back at her.  "Depends on the view.  This place hasn't changed in that many years," Hask commented.  "There's nothing _to_ forget."

Captain Ferah Pahl had accompanied Hask there--they had seen each other on the transport down to the planet from the shipyards, exchanged glances during all of the security checkpoints in the spaceport, and finally met up outside.  She reached up to take off her helmet.  Much the same way that the planet had changed and stayed the same, as his old friend Pahl was the picture he remembered and yet not.  Both of them had grown up now.

"I think you'd be surprised," she said, giving him an amused smile.  "But it's not normal to see special forces here on the ground either."

A careful probe to find out why he was there.  They didn't greet each other with embraces or outward signs of affection.  They were soldiers.  Hask in his jumpsuit and Pahl in her armor.  Instead it was as if they were never apart, and it was seeing what their orders entailed.  Especially if they weren't public knowledge.

"That's why we're special forces," Hask pointed out, mirroring her amusement.  "Classified."

Pahl snorted softly.  "Of course it is."

"It seems you still can't get rid of me, Pahl," he replied.  "You don't have your troopers with you here, do you?"

She returned a satisfied smirk to him.  "Classified."

Hask laughed softly.  "Of course it is."

They all felt the tightening of security in the amount of troops that were visible on the streets of the city, the way that Hask's scandocs had been checked thoroughly three times over, and that neither of them were willing to even give the other a hint of their orders.  There may have been a time in the past that both of them would have been excited about it and bursting to share information.  Both fresh out of the academy--trained together, housed together, and assigned together.  Then slowly, assigned away more and more until they were completely separated.

Then suddenly it was a year before he hard from Ferah Pahl.  Even longer before Hask set foot on his own home planet.  It was ironic to him that the destruction of the Death Star and the deaths of over a million Imperials was the instrument to bring both of them back to Kuat.

"It's good to see you, Ferah."

"You too, Gid," she replied warmly.  "It's been a long time."

A chilled breeze blew down the street, rustling Imperial banners above the spaceport, followed by mechanical wind of transports as they whirled down the streets, ferrying more soldiers into the Kuat capital.  The Empire had renamed it from the native Kuat name to Prosperity City once they had liberated the planet. 

If the sky had been clear above them, they would have had a perfect view of the circular shipyards orbiting Kuat's middle as a man-made planetary ring.  Visible from the ground, it was a symbol of Imperial prosperity for the population.

Only, the population called the capital Military City instead.  As a core world, Kuat was supposed to be guarded and at peace.  The machine of war was rampant in its quiet streets lined with uniforms.

That was the home that Hask remembered.  He looked back at Pahl.  "War keeps people apart."

"That it does."  She nodded in agreement.  They were the sterling product of Imperial prosperity.

As a transport pulled alongside them, she motioned to the side with her head.  "This is my transport.  Can I drop you anywhere?  I'm not in a hurry."

\--

It looked more like an occupation now.

Military City hadn't changed much since he was last there.  There might be a few new buildings, perhaps the city had spread out some, but the only difference that he could see was the strong increase of troops.  Growing up on Kuat had always been like living on a military base compared to most other planets in the heart of the Imperial core.

"Not sure you're entirely right about things not changing, Ferah," Gideon said, watching out the window of the transport as their homeworld drifted by.

She breathed out softly that was almost a snort, almost a laugh.  "You were the one who said it, genius.  But I know how much you like to admit that you're wrong."

He raised an eyebrow at her but a smile spread across his face all the same.  She wasn't wrong either.  "When was the last time you got to come back?"

Placing her helmet on her knee, she leaned over to get a better look out the window of the armored transport.  It didn't seem necessary in the peaceful city.  Certainly it wasn't to protect them from the citizens, though as it had started to rain, they were grateful to not be trudging through that in an open air transport.

"It's been a long time too," Pahl admitted.  "It really is surprising how quickly everything happens.  Or how quickly things are gone."

"Waging that war again," he said.  The destruction of the Death Star hadn't just brought him back to Kuat, it had brought him in contact with an old friend as well.  It shouldn't have taken that much.  Hask looked across at her.  "Did you know anyone there?"

It was the unsaid words in the room until he said them.  They had to talk about it.  Everyone felt it and everyone had been affected.  "A few people," she said.  "You?"

"A few," he echoed.

They weren't supposed to display it though, especially not as officers.  They were to remain unfazed and unflappable in the face of everything.  Mourn when the mission was over and in private.  From the way that Ferah worked her hands, he knew she was struggling, but Gideon had to consciously tell himself to let go of his helmet and relax again too.

Compared to the Death Star, Kuat's shipyard ring was a small target and the Alliance had already proven themselves inclined to take the risk.  The Empire was finally taking them seriously.  No wonder it looked like an occupation.

Hask breathed out slowly, letting the darkness of his mood lessen and breathing in calm.  "How long are you going to be here?  We should take advantage of this.  I'm sure you've got some good stories with as much trouble as you find."

It should have made her smile again, but she looked out the window instead.  "I don't have my orders yet but I should be here for a while.  Maybe indefinitely.  What about you, Gid?  They don't like to keep you in one place."

"No they don't."  That gave him more information about what she was up to and now she was fishing about him.  He could hand her a little without breaching any confidence.  "I have a meeting with the Admiral in a couple of hours."

"Enough time to get settled, changed, and then be sent away again," she said.  "Versio?"

He nodded.  Admiral Garrick Versio had been a driving force behind many of projects and soldiers lately, but Hask had been reporting to him for much longer.  It wasn’t news to Pahl, obviously, except that some things didn't change.

"You know, Admiral Versio signed my orders to come to Kuat too.  I imagine we will be seeing more of each other now."

She smiled at him again.  She had the ability to be warm if she wanted and Hask found that he had actually missed his friend after all that time.  Perhaps it was the chance of working together drew up all of those feelings.  It had been a long time; a couple of years, maybe?  It wasn't long enough that they couldn't fall into old habits again, but enough time had passed that he felt different and she seemed the same.

Hask reached for his bag as they neared his stop.  "News to me, though I can't say that's a bad thing.  Though, the Admiral does like to have everything all in place."

\--

The Eviscerator was docked in one of the repair births in the Kuat shipyard undergoing standard maintenance work. Admiral Versio wanted his star destroyer to be running as efficiently as possible but the delay was also an excuse to oversee additional projects. Like summoning Hask and Captain Pahl to Kuat.

Not knowing what Pahl’s directive was eating at him more than he thought it should. Certainly Hask wasn’t entitled to all of the admiral’s activities, but Versio read him in on plenty of operations that he wasn’t directly involved in, for informational purposes only. Because Versio trusted him. Did Versio not trust him with this?

The Empire viewed such things as trust and loyalty as delicate subjects. Certainly at the preparatory school on Vardos both Hask and Pahl were taught that an Imperial didn’t trust another. They weren’t to be friends or allies. They were colleagues, with a similar goal in supporting the Empire. They were all to be uniform and the same. In his time serving with Admiral Versio, Hask found himself questioning that pillar of conduct. The admiral certainly seemed to trust Hask with a lot and in return, how much did he trust the admiral? Maybe too much. Maybe not enough. Perhaps it was even Versio who didn’t trust him at all.

Whatever Versio was up to, Hask thought he would find out soon enough.

The admiral preferred whenever possible to stay on his ship even while in orbit, except for being on Vardos of course. With the maintenance and repairs though, the crew had been given temporary quarters, adding to the military presence of the capital, and the admiral a temporary office held within one of the tall spires of Prosperity City. Fitting that he could look down on the streets of average citizens and soldiers from high above, whether it was on his ship or now in the tower office.

Hask had changed into his standard grey officer's uniform baring the commander's rank insignia.  For all the time he spent in the field, the uniform almost felt foreign anymore.  So did such an obvious display of rank.  Like Pahl, he had a shoulder pauldron on his field uniform but it was subtle and didn't advertise his status to the enemy. 

Here it was a reminder of power, of being able to walk through a building and having other junior officers or enlisted personnel salute and come to attention as he passed.  On Kuat it made the feeling even more powerful with the high status his parents had once held as senior staff officers.  At the same time, it was unwelcome as it drew attention to him.  Not that Hask easily blended in to a room of people as it was with his large stature and build.

He watched the turbolift ascend the floors until he came to Versio's office.  Maybe he would just feel better entirely once he got off of this planet.

"Commander."  Versio's aid jumped up to attention.

Hask was already expected. He nodded to the man, taking position in front of the desk and waited to be acknowledged.

"Sir." 

Versio glanced at him briefly. "You're on time, Commander.”

He smiled just slightly at the comment.  "Early, sir, at least by five minutes."

"Do not correct me, Hask."  Versio taught that to being on time made one already late.  Hask made it a point to never be late. 

Breathing out, Versio sat back in his chair.  Though visibly older now, his hair greying at the sides, the admiral still held the same sort of power that he had when Hask first met him, and he deserved the same amount of respect.  More of both, actually.  When Admiral Versio spoke, people listened.  Hask was always one of them.

As the admiral aged, he betrayed no weakness on the outside but some days--now perhaps--there was just a hint that he was actually tired.  It disappeared again.  Versio waved his hand.  "Sit down, Commander.  We have much to go over."

Hask turned his attention back to the mission, sitting down across from him.  With so many things happening around them--the Death Star, the heightened security, the Kuat shipyards and Captain Pahl's secretive presence on the planet--he wanted to know what was truly going on.

Tapping his finger against his datapad, Versio looked across at Hask, watching his eyes.  Trying to read him.  He was one of the few people who could.  Others, Hask only showed what he wanted them to see but Versio broke through those barriers as any good mentor could.  "You know about the effect that the shipyards have had on this planet more than most, Hask," he started.  "Security upgrades curbed some of the attacks on the planet, but, with the Death Star destroyed, the Rebels have become much more daring."

"More importantly, we believe we may have a handle on where they are originating."  Versio handed a file across to him, waiting until Hask had started reviewing the information before he spoke again.  "Renmaar is an insignificant moon that has already been mined of anything of value.  All that is left are elaborate cave systems and a small Imperial outpost."

"They should have detected something before if the outpost is there to monitor," Hask pointed out.

The admiral folded his hands on his desk.  "Should have, yes, but this cell has been disguising their heat signatures as they come and go out of the atmosphere."

That caught Hask's attention.  It was advanced technology for rebels, but it wasn't unknown to the Empire.  "They should have been monitoring for other outputs, shouldn't they?"

Versio's eyes narrowed slightly.  "That is being addressed.  Regardless, the outpost did detect motion from the planet and a very short comm burst.  Further scans into the cave system stirred up the fengar's nest."

No doubt someone was being punished for not detecting the ship activity earlier, but that wasn't a concern now.  It would be how to deal with the rebels in the caves where they had already set up their forces.

"I take it that orbital bombardment is not an option?" Hask asked.

"No," Versio said.  "The cave system is too deep within the planet for effective bombardment."  He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to the side slightly and Hask felt the admiral's eyes on him more focused.  He was watching him now, gaging reactions.  "It is the collective decision by the command board that Renmaar is not worth deploying ground forces to push out the rebels, or to attempt a heavy orbital strike.  The threat that they pose against this planet and others is deemed only a nuisance."

That was what Versio was waiting for--Hask's hand tightened on the file and he used his finger to flip to the next page in a controlled fashion.  A nuisance.  Gideon had seen first-hand what the rebel terrorist cell strikes did to Kuat.  It was too hard to reach the shipyards. Instead they snuck through the defenses, used forged scandocs and bombed military installations.  Sometimes military supplies.  Sometimes markets.  Sometimes next to schools.

"Sir-.."

Versio held up his hand.  "I don't want to hear it, Commander.  I want this cell _eliminated_."

Hask worked his jaw.  Versio knew what he was doing; he was getting Hask upset, winding him up and setting him off on the enemy.  It had worked before even if the results were often painful.  That was the price they paid for peace, security and the loyalty to their Empire.

"I want them eliminated, Commander Hask, and I want to know where they came from and who else is running these terrorist cells," Versio said in a hard voice.  "Do I make myself clear?"

Rising up more in his chair, Hask settled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, shoving down any feelings of discomfort or anger at his enemy.  For now.  "Yes, sir."

"I trust you will accomplish this by any means necessary."

"I have an idea in mind, sir," Hask replied.

Versio nodded.  "Good.  Then you are dismissed.  See to it immediately."

Hask stood, saluted again and prepared to leave but he paused a few steps from the door.  "Admiral.  Do these orders go against the decision of the admiralty board?"

"I will refrain from commenting on that."  As Hask looked back, Versio was already engrossed in another datapad.  Back to work.  The conversation was over.

For a moment, the admiral looked up over the top of the datapad at him.  "Good luck, Hask."

\--

_Commander Versio, the savior and liberator of Vardos, was both the image that 16-years-old Gideon Hask expected and also not at the same time.  He had expected to meet a hard, demanding officer when he was summoned to the Commander's office and the man sitting behind the desk fit that description.  He was stoic, unyielding, and seemed to demand attention immediately upon entering a room._

_It was a severe first impression and the physical side did not disappoint.  It was the subject matter of the meeting that caught him off guard._

_"Your school record speaks highly of you, Cadet Hask," Versio said, folding his hands and looking up at him from his desk.  "Flawless performance in leadership, combat, physical training--academics are not perfect but more than adequate.  Is less than perfect acceptable to you, Cadet?"_

_Hask tightened his jaw.  Versio wasn't wrong in his assumption.  Overall, he certainly appeared to do well in academics but it wasn't perfect, hinting at though Hask showed good work in his studies there were a lot of struggles and sleepless nights spent studying to keep up with the remainder of his classes._

_"Nothing but perfection is acceptable, sir," he replied._

_"But we're organic beings, are we not?" the Commander asked.  "Capable of making mistakes, of having weaknesses."_

_Versio had issued the order for Hask to stand at ease and while the cadet complied, standing at a looser position with feet stepped apart and hands behind him, his back was still straight as a pole and he stared at the wall above Versio's head.  The perfect soldier._

_Now Versio was either testing him or baiting him.  Or both._

_"Not officers, sir."_

_Tapping a finger against his other folded hand, Versio considered the answer and whether or not Hask had passed that particular test.  "You work very hard, Cadet.  Don't think that your effort hasn't gone unnoticed.  Nor as your potential."_

_Then he got to his feet, walking around his desk to look at Hask directly.  Garrick Versio was not necessarily a small man, standing at an average height and a few inches shorter than Hask, but he still looked physically imposing as well.  Hask imagined that there had been a time when Versio had been a strong presence in combat, but those days were likely over._

_Versio wasn't here to intimidate him, not with the way he was outlining Hask's work at the school.  The Future Leaders of the Empire preparatory school was housed in Vardos' main capital and for well-positioned Imperial children, it was their first step toward the Royal Imperial Academy.  It was highly competitive and difficult as it had to produce the best.  Hask was determined to be one of them.  Versio almost sounded impressed by it but Hask couldn't believe that that was truly the case._

_"Sir, with respect.  What is this about?" he asked._

_It was a risk, sounding as if he was speaking out of turn though Hask knew it was a valid question as well.  Versio hadn't gotten to the point._

_The Commander raised a brow at him and then he smiled slowly.  "I will tell you, Cadet.  I've been keeping an eye on you.  Your reputation as a soldier is already being made," Versio explained.  "No doubt you want to prove yourself."_

_Hask pressed his lips together but didn't speak.  He felt he knew what was coming next and though the wound had long since healed, it would always be raw and he had to work to cover his emotion regarding it._

_"Reputation can make an officer."  Versio stepped away from him, hands clasped behind his back and mirroring the attentive stance that Hask stood in as he walked toward the window of his office to look out over Vardos.  "I liberated this planet from chaos before the Empire and look where that has gotten me now.  This planet respects me not because of what I speak or promise but what they know I can do."_

_Turning back to face Hask, he nodded his head.  "You didn't brag about your achievements, Hask, when given the chance.  You didn't give excuses.  You owned where you have worked hard and the work you have yet to do."_

_"And," Versio continued.  "You work as hard as you do to change your reputation, don't you?  Your parents, your family name.  Being the son of traitors, you are under scrutiny to know where your loyalties lie."_

_There it was.  Part of him hoped that his efforts to prove himself were not as obvious but anyone who know the Hask family name knew the story.  News of his parents’ treason and execution had been spread throughout the Imperial territories as a warning.  Gideon had to bear the rest of it for something he had no hand in at all._

_"I am loyal to the Empire and I serve at the Emperor's pleasure," Hask reported evenly.  Practiced over and over and delivered to perfection._

_Versio waved his hand dismissively.  "Of course you do.  I'm not questioning that.  Instead I'm talking about you, Hask," he said.  "You've already sprouted up a head taller than all of the other boys in the class.  You're going to be an impressive soldier.  That is exactly what I need."_

_Somehow, without doing anything at all Hask thought, he must have passed the test because he anticipated the question even as Versio approached him again, settling to stand in front of him._

_"I have assignments in need of a soldier like you now.  Consider this your real chance to prove yourself to the Empire and I will personally make it worth the work for your career, Cadet."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading so far! Just in case there was ever any question that it's an alternate universe and that, y'know, shit is going to go down.. here you go!

Chapter 2

 

Iden Versio didn't like returning to chaos but it was becoming more common. 

Voices and the sounds of heightened activity carried deep into the abandoned cave shafts. So far no Imperial had tried to venture that far into the system to hunt them down.  They would have to get past the security features that would alert the team of an intruder long before any enemy reached them.

She stowed her gear, turning to look at her companion.  They never left the cave without a second person.  "We were gone for twenty minutes…" she said.

"I know.  They better not be fighting again."  Danic Callum didn't wait for her, grabbing his jacket and heading further down the cave.  He was her commanding officer now, if he could be called an officer.

Iden had spent all of her life in a military environment and it had been hard to get away from that mindset.  In the end, her father had trained her well.  It was unfortunate that he couldn't see her now, but Iden also wouldn't want it.  She had no desire to see Garrick Versio at all.  Many Imperials who stood in her way ended up facing her wrath because of it.

She took her time following Callum down the cave--he was their proclaimed leader and he could handle it.  That was something else that had taken some getting used to, not being in charge.  Iden and Danic didn't see eye-to-eye about most things and, more often than she'd like, he won out.  He carried the approval of their team.  She was still proving herself.

Their voices became clearer as she got closer, and she could pick up bits and pieces of conversation.  What were they supposed to do with them?  Kill them, _obviously_.  No, they shouldn't kill them. They might have information.

In the middle of the main hall were three prisoners and two of Danic's people standing over them--a human, Tanus, and Julen, the warrior Zabrak.  Tanus had a habit of being loose with his trigger finger.  Julen spent her whole life fighting just to survive.

"We should have wiped out that outpost when we first got here," Iden said, stopping next to the tall, thin Quarren called Namren, who was watching the scene with disinterest. Iden her arms as she joined her.  Let's see how Danic managed to calm this situation down.

"That's right!"  Tanus thumped his fist against his chest proudly.  "We took the initiative and caught these three."

Julen stepped up to face Danic, lifting her chin to look down on him.  "It was only a matter of time before they started blowing up our tunnels.  This is only the beginning."

"That's _enough_!" Danic shouted, baring his teeth at her.  One of these days, Iden thought, they were going to actually butt-heads and interlock horns.  Danic himself was a rare object--a hybrid.  Human and Zabrak.  He had shown his ability to lead, but Julen never let him forget it.  Danic never let her forget his cunning ability at pulling them all together.

As he started to walk forward, Julen yielded, nearly growling at the action.  Tanus stood his ground until Danic was right upon him, staring him down before he stepped back. 

"What happened?” Danic asked angrily.

Tanus visibly swallowed, but he refused to let his nerves get the better of him.  "We caught them.  _We_ did it, finally.  Like we should have from the beginning!"

"They found them in the cave and dragged them back here.  There is another body.  It will need to be disintegrated," Namren said calmly.

Danic worked his fists, gaging the situation.  Another body to dispose of and more people who would know where they were located.  The prisoners had hoods over their heads. Tanus and Julen had thought that far ahead.  Well, Julen did.  Tanus was too young to let common sense dictate his actions, but he did have spirit, as he demonstrated by dragging back two stormtroopers and an officer.

"There are a lot more than these three at that base," Julen snapped, prodding at Danic with her eyes.  "We should destroy them!"

"The only good buckethead is a dead one," Tanus added.  He pointed his blaster at the officer's head.  "I say we start with this one!"

"And bring the whole Navy upon us?" Iden challenged, finally stepping forward.  She had preferred to watch the scene unfold, but this was getting them nowhere and it might cost lives that had valuable information.  Not so much about the lives part.

Tanus shifted in the sand, close enough to press the barrel of his blaster against the officer's head.  The prisoner didn't make a sound but his body tensed as he felt the weapon, anticipating what would be coming next.  "Then we'll fight them too.  This is what we're about!  We don't just roll over for the Empire; we're partisans!"

It was an attempt at an inspiring speech, but it accomplished little; Danic grabbed the blaster and shoved him back.  "I said _enough_."

"If you are trying to prove your ability to lead, Tanus…"  Namren trailed off with a sharp look from Danic.  It was enough.  At least Danic had proven his ability to reign in his subordinates.

"Our _mission_ ," Danic snapped, "is to cause damage on core worlds, not to waste resources on insignificant outposts."

"Or draw the attention of a star destroyer," Iden pointed out.

Danic turned on her instead, raising both brows at her.  "Do you want to take over now, Versio?  I have been challenged enough for today.  We will get what we need from these three and that will be all of it."

Namren stiffened, her cautious nature heightening her anxiety at the situation. “You shouldn’t have said her name, not where they could hear.”

Scowling, Danic turned on one of the stormtroopers, dragging the man forward and ripping off his hood so that the prisoner blinked in the artificial light. “Both of you are very concerned about what the Empire knows about us,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. None of them will be leaving this cave.”

There were no questions. He raised the blaster to the stormtrooper’s head and shot him, dropping his body on the ground.

—

They shouldn’t have mentioned her name because Hask heard it. Even in the artificial darkness of the hood, he was calculating the odds and possibilities. Versio. Iden Versio. He hadn’t heard her name in a long time, but it had to be. The admiral had no other living relatives.

He had to find a way to use this to his advantage, but it also brought up another question. Why hadn’t Garrick Versio told him? Perhaps he didn’t know she was there, but Versio survived on the power of his knowledge and intelligence. He knew where she was; disgraced, a traitor. Was that the whole purpose of this mission and the admiral was so insistent on wiping the cell out when no one had bothered before—it didn’t matter how many civilians died in Kuat.

Or did Versio trust him at all?

Suddenly there was action—he felt movement and heard scuffling in the sand. The leader, or who he imagined was the leader, declaring that they would all die here and then the thick thud of a body. No other sound like it.

Hask’s body tensed and he closed his eyes. It was time. Suppress all nerves and feelings of anticipation because there was no going back now.

“Wait, wait!” he called out, squirming against his bonds. “I have information! I can tell you.”

"That's shab, don't believe him."  It was a woman's voice.  Too gruff to be Iden, he thought, maybe the Zabrak who grabbed them.

"No, please!" Hask insisted.  "You said Versio?  That's Iden Versio?  I'll talk to her.  I swear I will."

It was hard to get a layout of the room since they were brought in blinded.  He couldn't tell if there was anything he could use nearby.  One of the troopers was lying on the floor dead and he could only hope that it wasn't his partner.  The third trooper could give his life for the Empire, but Hask and his partner had a job to finish.

He heard another scuffle of movement next to him.  "Commander, no."

That told him what he wanted to know--his partner was alive and the third trooper was dead.  A necessary sacrifice.

Suddenly he felt the bag ripped off of his head, throwing him into a light-filled world again with the disorientation of a new room and unfamiliar faces.  Hask squinted and shook his head until he could force himself to look up at the woman standing in front of him.

She had to be the admiral's daughter.  It could be no one else.  Iden looked at him fiercely and demanding.  He'd seen that expression before with her father.

"You want to talk.  I want to know you're telling the truth," she said.  "Convince me."

He looked from her to the others--two Zabraks, a Quarren, another human.  More people as well.  They weren't soldiers, they were scrappers and guerrillas.  Saw Gererra called them Partisans.  They were supposed to have died with him on Jedha.  This group obviously hadn't gotten the message.

"I am telling the truth.  What else could I do to convince you?" he asked, looking back at her.

Iden looked at him expectantly, trying to will a better answer out of him but his word wasn't enough.  If they were in opposite places, he wouldn't expect hers to be either.

She started to walk away, grabbing the second stormtrooper and dragging him forward, then placing a blaster to his head as he knelt facing Hask.  "Fine.  Convince me now, Commander."

"No.  Leave him alone.  No one else has to die here," Hask said.  He wasn't afraid; he held his shoulders forward and his arms tense, but he didn't shake and he wasn't nervous.

Neither was the stormtrooper.  If anything, he was relaxed in Iden's grip.  Both of them were prepared for death any time they went out, but they couldn't complete the mission if they were dead.

"All is as the Force wills it," the stormtrooper said.

Hask looked up at her again.  "We're on the same side."

\--

_"Get out of my face, droid."_

_The droid buzzed softly, hovering skillfully to avoid the way that Gideon was swiping at it.  At least it had better speed than most insects.  It was just as annoying though._

_"He only does that because he likes you."  Del Meeko flipped a switch on the console, hurdling them off into hyperspace aboard the small shuttle.  Hask had come straight from Versio's office on Kuat following a stop at the armory to resupply.  The only information he had given Meeko was that they had no time to lose._

_Hask sighed, narrowing his eyes at the ID10 seeker droid as it buzzed away from him, but noting that it turned its head disc back toward him curiously.  "I could live my whole life without having a droid_ like _me, Del.  You're the one who programmed it."_

_Del waved a hand lightly and leaned back in the pilot's seat.  "He has a mind of his own."_

_"As long as it scans the ship, I don't really care."_

_Laughing softly, Del also unhooked his restraints and stood up from the console, stretching his arms above his head until he touched the top of the cockpit and had to bend his elbows.  He was a tall, lanky man, making him more unassuming than Gideon since he was just the mechanic.  Or the pilot.  Or the standard trooper._

_"He's scanned the ship already.  Twice, actually, while you were in with the admiral.  Again during take-off," Del explained.  "We're clean."_

_The droid beeped back at them an_ _affirmative from across the cargo hold and Del just smiled.  "Yes, thank you for that, Dio."_

_Hask did not roll his eyes, but he wanted to--doing it only would have made Del laugh again which accomplished nothing.  Del Meeko did find ways of lightening a dark mood.  It had to be one of the reasons that they were paired off so often.  "When the droid starts talking back, I'm requesting a new partner."_

_"Well, he does answer.  Just not in Basic," Del said._

_The shuttle compartment wasn't large.  It was just meant for troop or equipment transport.  Climbing out of the cockpit, Del had to push past and step over Hask on his way, but they were used to it.  They had been working together in close quarters long enough.  They also had plenty of their own equipment on the shuttle; nothing looked out of place, all of it was standard issue.  Del stopped in front of a cargo box.  “Are you going to tell me about Renmaar?  You didn’t spend long with the admiral and then you raced out here to get off the planet.”_

_Hask was focusing on his datapad, flipping through pages of the report that Versio had provided to him.  He did pause to flick his eyes in Del's direction.  "You'll be a stormtrooper."_

_"Ah."  Opening one of the boxes, Del nodded and began pulling out pieces of armor.  "So, you have a plan?"_

_"He wants us to take out the group responsible for harassing Kuat.  They're located on Renmaar."  Gideon kept his tone even and casual, as if he was reporting on the weather and that it would be rather disappointing for the next few days.  "They're attributing it to the Rebels."_

_"Partisans?" Del asked.  He slipped his boots off, starting to change from a mechanic jumpsuit into the black thermal wear of a stormtrooper.  Once he poked his head out of the top of it, he looked back at Hask.  "This is no coincidence.  The Force is giving us this opportunity."_

_Hask didn't know that he believed in the Force.  It was all very mystical, confusing and mostly forbidden.  But, Del did.  His claim was that the Force had gotten them through a lot of challenges and near-death experiences.  As long as Del's belief held up, it would be enough for both of them, he thought._

_"Well, it isn't a coincidence; can't be.  It is kriffing convenient though."  Hask set the datapad down, rising from his seat to face his partner._

_Del nodded to him as he picked up the white armor chest piece.  "Are you changing too?"_

_"No, I'm going like this."_

_"As an officer?"_

_"Yeah," Gideon said.  "We're letting them take us, that's how we'll get in."_

_Del paused in place, still holding the armor.  There were times that Hask had unusual plans.  Getting in with the partisans with all of their reputations was going to be one of them.  "And what happens after they take us?"_

_"Our orders are that shipyard.  The partisans are secondary.  So, they take us and we come clean with them," he said.  "Use their inside knowledge."  He pointed at the droid.  "Can it get me a clean line to General Draven before we land?"_

_"Yes," Del said cautiously.  "Of course he can.  Gideon, we're walking in as Imperials--how is this plan going to work if they shoot us?"_

_"Won't the Force protect us?" he asked, slowly starting to smile._

_Del didn't look offended.  It took a lot more than that to hurt feelings; though they poked fun at each other to curb the tense atmosphere sometimes, Hask didn't like to fully cross the line.  Perhaps it was the wrong time to tease though--Del didn't have a quick retort already planned._

_"Maybe.  I can only pray for so much."  Del unbuckled the armor, placing it over his shoulders.  "It is a legitimate concern."_

_It was.  The whole plan hinged on the partisans, who were known for their instability.  Hask had considered it but should everything go according to plan, it would align the moon, stars, planets and the Empire and Rebellion correctly in the sky._

_Hask tapped Del's shoulder with his fist and walked past him to the droid and the comm unit in the back.  "They won't shoot us on sight.  It's a chance we'll have to take."_

_"It's a big chance."_

_He didn't call Draven right away.  They were in hyperspace and had to be plenty of distance from Kuat by now, but he could also hear Del still rustling around with the armor.  Taking his time.  He wasn't done talking yet._

_"It's also not the only thing I'm worried about," Del said._

_Working so closely had given them both insight to each other.  Hask could track Del's shape and gait in stormtrooper armor even a long distance off.  Del could track Hask's thoughts through any barriers he put up and detect what was left unsaid.  It gave some credibility to the old tale that Jedi could read minds, only Del was no Jedi._

_Hask sighed.  "I'm fine, Del."_

_"The Partisans; Kuat.. This is where your journey started."_

_His hand tightened around the datapad.  This wasn't a place where he had to be the calm, reserved officer who didn't crack under pressure or show weakness.  It was a place where he could be himself._ _Just Gideon.  Given what they were responsible for, that freedom was necessary.  Only the facade of an officer had been so engrained into him that he wouldn't always drop it, even for Del._

_He willed his hand to relax._ _"I said I'm fine.  Where we are and who we're up against doesn't affect my judgment in the least."_

_Del knit his brow together, giving him that concerned look normally reserved for bad situations and small children.  "If this was facing what happened at the temple again, I know I wouldn't be so calm-.."_

_"Del, stop!"  Gideon rubbed the back of his neck with an exasperated breath.  "Stop worrying.  We both knew what we were getting into when we started doing this job in the first place and I knew what was going to happen as soon as Versio said anything about Kuat.  This_ is _how I'm going to deal with it."_

_"By blowing it all up?" Del asked in a softer tone._

_"Do you see a better way?"_

_Del shook his head and went back to the armor, snapping on the last pieces.  The droid whirled softly, looking from Gideon to Del and then back again.  Even the hum of the ship's hyperdrive sounded heavy, as if they had brought Kuat's dense and humid atmosphere onto the ship with them._

_Del walked over to the comm unit too, tapping the droid's head as if it were a pet, and flipping a switch.  They both had to enter codes as a safeguard for the Rebellion, and then the droid could access a secure line.  The comm unit lit up, searching for a signal out in space._

_"As long as you can walk away from it, Gid," Del said.  "We've both lost too many friends and family in this war."_

_Gideon smiled slightly, just an upturn of one side of his mouth, and he slapped Del's back.  "That's why I've got you.  You speak for both of us."_

\--

"We're Rebel spies."

It was the hardest three words that Hask had ever had to say and the effort it took felt like it had been dragged out of him from somewhere deep inside.  He had to be so guarded, living in Imperial territory.  He didn't have a choice.  Mistakes were deadly.  Their only hope was that this wasn't a mistake.

He looked at Iden and then over at the leader--the Zabrak man who stood breathing hard, lips parted and stunned at the news.  Iden was just as guarded except for the pinch of the edge of her lips holding everything in.

"He's lying," Iden said at last.  She looked at the Zabrak man.  "Danic, he's lying.  He has to be."

Danic closed his mouth, lifting his chin, reaching in to access his power again.  "No.  Prove it.  I want to hear this first."

It was a good plan, he thought.  At least it started out as a good plan.  Well, maybe a partial plan.  It was a plan; maybe not even a good one at all.  Hask was thorough, though, he had everything in place.  It was an essential of survival for how they lived.  Not only his survival, but Del's too.

Obviously he had thought about how to convince them and if what he told them wasn't good enough, then they would be dead anyway.  Considering how difficult that might be turned out to be beyond what he had considered.  Or exactly how much it would take for them to believe.

He flexed a wrist in the binders behind his back from where he was kneeling on the floor and he shifted to one side, trying to get the blood flowing back to his legs.  The movement made the younger human tense, but Danic had taken his blaster away.  And he was the one calling for more information.

"We are deep cover agents," Hask said with obvious difficulty.  Much to his frustration, it truly was still difficult.  It wasn't just the first confession, but further details.  It became something that was outside of his control and, for Hask, that was entirely unacceptable.

He closed his eyes.  "We report to General Draven."

Danic walked closer, looking over at Iden.  “Do you know them?"

She reached forward, pulling the remaining bag off of the stormtrooper's head.  The blonde officer and the dark-haired stormtrooper who had mentioned the Force.  Hask didn't think it was likely that she would know them, but he knew her name and he knew her face only by knowing her father.  It made little difference.

Del shook his head in response to the light of the cave, blinking a few times until his vision was clear.  "I can confirm what he says.  We do report to General Draven.  It's been many years--how many exactly ?"  He knit his brow in thought as he looked across at Hask.

"Del.."  Was that really necessary?  Hask gave him an expectant look, knowing he would pick up on the meaning.  Maybe Del did read his thoughts.

"No."  Iden folded her arms.  "I don't know them.  I've never seen them before."

"Would they be telling the truth?  Could the Rebellion sink spies in this deep that the Empire wouldn't find them out?" Danic asked her.

The other Zabrak, the woman, stepped forward between the two of them, grabbing Del's arm to pull him straighter on his knees.  "Then we solve it like this.  Tell us where your base is," she demanded.  "Not your Empire base--I don't give a shab about the one on Renmaar or any Imperial details.  Tell me where your secret  _Rebel_  base is."

Del didn't squirm in her grasp which had to be substantial.  Actually--frustratingly--he looked much calmer than Hask felt.  How this was affecting him so much and not Del was an issue, mostly in that Hask hated the disparity.  "Hoth."

"No-."  Hask pulled at his restraints in instinct.  It was the plan to convince them, to let them in on secrets, but they both spent so long defending the secrets of the Rebellion that fighting back was an automatic motion.

But the stakes were that high.  It had already been said.  Now these partisans knew the location of the Rebel base; what had taken the few months since the destruction of the Death Star and the battle of Yavin to even finish building.  What was still vulnerable and not fully defended.  If Draven knew that this was their plan, he likely would have reached through space and the comm unit to kill them on the spot.

Hask forced himself to back down, consciously relaxing the muscles in his arms until the binders felt slack against his back again.  "Yes, Hoth.  Echo base."

The woman scoffed in irritation, dropping Del back to his knees in a clatter of armor.  "Kriff...  That's where the Rebellion  _would_  be."

Whether or not the rest of them believed it was still up in the air.  Iden stared at the two of them, calculating and trying to, as it appeared, hide her astonishment.  The younger human pointed at them in protest, starting to complain loudly to the leader as another partisan stepped in, then another one. 

One of them said to release their bonds.  Another said to kill them.  More voices still, climbing up over each other to be heard and it was a wonder with this much chaos that the Empire hadn't found them first.  Danic struggled to control the din, demanding order. In the midst of infighting in the artificially lit cave, Del looked back at Hask.

A smile crept onto his face.  "The Force provides a way and the Force preserves those who follow the way."

They weren't dead yet.  The Rebellion was safe, for now.  It seemed that the Force did provide.  Maybe now he could start to drop the act.  No doubt seeing his effort had helped their cause.  Gideon smirked back at him instead.  "That seems to be true this time."

"Every time," Del corrected.  "It wouldn't kill you to have a little faith in something."

"It hasn't killed me so far," Hask replied.

Danic fired a blaster bolt into the ceiling of the cave, raining down dirt on top of their heads--the room flinched and ducked.  The young human covered his head with his hands, shouting obscenities at the surprise, but it silenced them.  It reminded Hask where they were and who they were with; the Rebellion had its challenges and the Empire would chew up and spit out anyone who didn't comply.  The partisans were different.  Sloppy.  How they had managed to run for this long was the question, but Hask didn't know that he wanted the answer.

"We will confirm your story," Danic said in a slow, even tone.  Then he turned on the two of them, pointing the blaster at Hask.  "Names.  Now."

Hask borrowed the silence to take a closer look at Danic.  The lines around the corners of his eyes were fine enough that he was still young--he couldn't have been the leader of this cell for very long.  There was an old, leathery scar that cut down above his ear and had split one of the horns that lined the crown of his head.  That said something else, that Danic had seen war for a long time.  The only thing he couldn't see was any respect that the others might have for him.  That was still building; Danic drew his command by force.

Very Imperial.

"Gideon Hask," he said.

Del glanced up at them.  "Del Meeko."  He cleared his throat cautiously.  "Actually, we have a droid with us as well. If we can fetch him then he might be able to help convince you as well.  We do have data." 

Offering a small smile, he added, "I'd rather he not get left outside in the dark all night."

"He's a droid, for kriff's sake…" Gideon sighed.

It took Danic a moment longer to lower the blaster and he motioned with two fingers toward the Quarren.  "Namren, take him to get the droid.  Take Julen with you.  I don't want any more surprises tonight."  Then he breathed out.  "This is more than enough."

\--

_The secure connection was established with the droid monitoring for anything suspicious.  Connections with Hoth had to be closely monitored and it was audio only.  Sometimes not seeing Draven's face made it hard to pick up on the nuances of what he might be thinking._

_Spies might be on the same side, but they still read each other.  Hask knew better than to give in to full trust._

_< <Progress?>> Draven asked._

_There was static on the line.  He wondered how clearly they were going to hear each other.  They already didn't always see eye-to-eye, why not use static as an excuse to mishear._

_"We've made some.  Unexpectedly," Hask said.  "I have an assignment to Renmaar.  Dealing with the Partisans.  So far, the Empire has no idea that they are Partisans though."_

_He heard Draven hum and frown even through the comm. <<Gerrera's legacy coming back to haunt us again.  I thought we were done with them on Jedha.>>_

_"Apparently not."_

_< <Are these the same Partisans who have been attacking Kuat for years?>>_

_Before the Death Star--before Scarif--the Rebellion had a hard time finding traction and Draven attributed a lot of it to Gerrera.  The Partisans were so eager to take credit for any action taken against the Empire that they didn't care who was hurt in the process.  The Rebel Alliance had standards.  They had morals._

_Hask tucked his hands behind his back.  "I won't know until we're on the inside, but it's possible."_

_< <What is your plan?>>_

_They tried not to use names over comms even with all of the security precautions.  Even if the transmissions were picked up, they would be pinpointed and Hask would be outed as a spy, but it made them feel better to have a small added layer of security.  Instead, Hask had to imagine the tone of Draven's voice matching his face and the accented punch of his name at the end of the question._

_"Infiltrate.  Use their knowledge of the planet and it's security," Hask reported.  "We'll need the resources for something so big."_

_There was a pause.  Draven was thinking.  Racing through possibilities, making decisions and trying to think of some ways of telling Hask how to do his job.  He appreciated Draven making the hard decisions but anything else needed to be left up to him.  After all, Hask was the one in the field._

_< <I assume you have a way to keep your superiors from suspicion when you don't destroy the Partisans?>> Draven asked._

_"Yes sir.  All is in place," Hask said._

_Del stirred behind him, still playing with the equipment in the shuttle, but he could feel the man's eyes on him.  That was fine.  They had very little secrets and Del was entitled to the information, even if maybe he didn't like it._

_< <Tell me, how many times have they attacked Kuat recently?>>_

_Hask pressed his lips together.  He could deflect the question as a distraction, but there was the pinpoint of anger that was starting to swell into something bigger at the thought of his home planet.  "Recently?  At least five attacks since the Death Star.  They're getting more bold."_

_Draven breathed out, the heavy decision coming to him. <<Commander, the shipyard is your priority.  You know my thoughts on the Partisans, their reputation and how they make us look.  Secondary priority is to take them out as well.  We eliminate both--the shipyard, crippling the Empire's bulk naval construction and repair, and the Partisans.  They have been a thorn in our side for long enough.>>_

_Static rustled through the comm but it wasn’t enough to obscure voices.  Draven paused._

_< <I wouldn’t expect you would have an issue with those orders, would you, Commander?>>_

_Hask clenched his fists.  He felt Del’s eyes on his back.  It was the general’s orders now, not just Hask’s call.  That both took the pressure off of Hask and yet added gravity to the situation._

_“No, sir,” Hask replied.  “We will see to it.”_

_< <Good.  I will expect your report.>>_

_The line went into more static as Draven ended the transmission without announcing it.  He never did.  Draven said his peace and then it was done, and no one was expected to question._

_Dio whirled and buzzed as it ended their side of the comm line, then it pulled away from the unit, hovering back toward Del.  Turning to the side, Hask looked at Del out of the corner of his eye, watching as the man transitioned from listening to the general back to packing up equipment in a cargo box.  "He was in a mood, wasn't he?"_

_"Since losing so many on Scarif," Hask said, folding his arms.  "The stakes are a lot higher now."_

_"Not just for the general, but all of us."  Del leaned back on his heels, looking up at Hask.  "You got your wish though.  Send all of this up in smoke."_

_He chewed on the inside of his lip, but then he faced Del too, forcing on a smile.  "I don't just like blowing things up, Del."_

_"Just when things blow up spectacularly?"_

_That actually made him laugh.  A true, genuine laugh before they reached their destination.  "Usually,” Gideon said. “Kuat is worth being liberated.”_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

Chapter 3

Though Garrick Versio did not show it, he was pleased that Captain Pahl was a full ten minutes early to their appointment.  His summons instructed her to meet him on the observation deck overseeing the Eviscerator as it sat in drydock.  With his aide off to one side and guards a respectful distance away, Versio stood alone--a pillar of authority in his white uniform--until Pahl joined him.

She said nothing at first, only offering a salute.  He waved it off, putting her at ease.  It was as informal as meetings with Versio went, him not one to put aside tradition.  However, this wasn't his office and that told Pahl plenty before arrival.

"Come.  Take in this view, Captain."

Taking her helmet off, Pahl tucked it under her arm and stepped up beside him.  "The Eviscerator is a magnificent ship, sir," she said.

"It's a shame to see it restrained in one place, isn't it?" he asked softly enough that his voice wouldn't carry.  "Somewhat like a caged animal."

He looked over at her instead.  Shoulders straight, arms behind his back, mirrored also by Pahl in her stiff and polished armor.  "I imagine you understand what that feels like, Captain, being caged in a boring assignment that makes little use of your skills."

She maintained her professionalism, but inwardly she smirked.  Had it been anyone else, it might have reached her face.  Pahl knew she was a good officer and she had the confidence to continue as one.  "We all have to serve our time on the dead end posts, sir," she replied.

Versio hummed but made no mention of agreement.  He had always been hard to read but Pahl hadn't worked with him directly for long.  It was the disappearance--defection, really--of his daughter that saw that certain things changed.  As her assignments increased in volume and her reputation increased in turn, Pahl didn't regret at all saying yes to the Admiral.

Drawing in a breath, he signaled to Pahl that he was going to move and inclined his head to invite her at his side.  She turned with him, to walk down the observation platform.  As they got closer to the guards at the end of the walkway, they moved as well, maintaining distance.  This conversation was intended to be private.

"It won't be a dead-end post for long," Versio said.

That brightened Pahl's outlook.  She risked a small smile, which Versio met in turn.  His approval.  Still, she said nothing, waiting for him to continue.  Information from the Admiral was not to be rushed.

Versio walked silently for several feet, letting the questions hang between them.  Or he was testing her patience.  According to Hask, many things about Versio proved to be a test.

"Captain Pahl, I am going to share with you what select few know," he said.  "The details of your assignment are highly classified."

It intrigued her more, just baiting her with information and making her hungry for it action.  She couldn't take his bait though.  Patience.  It was a word she knew, but not one she was always experienced with in her service.

"I understand, sir," she replied in a neutral voice.

They were clearing the end of the Eviscerator on the observation walkway since it was situated far enough above the docked ships that it only took a few moments to walk the length as opposed to the endless turbolifts to go from one end of a destroyer to another.  Anyone using the observation area was likely a senior officer and they did like standing above everyone else anyway.  Pahl paid little attention to the other ships docked on the far side of the Eviscerator at first, but as the change in scene caught her eye, she did turn to look.

There was the Eviscerator docked and beyond it, the bare bones of a battleship in construction. Next to it, another nearly half in completion. And a third. Fourth. All of them more than three times the size of the standard star destroyer in front of them. How could she have missed these massive ships? They were building a fleet of giants.

Pahl stopped walking, turning to face them fully.  "What are _those_?"

The admiral hummed that might have been a laugh.  "You are one of few officers below an admiral to see them," he said.  "Not as powerful as the Executor, but they will do their job."

He left her side and walked closer to the edge of the walkway again, looking down on the field of new ships under construction.  They were too far to see much detail, but in the darkness of space, there were flashes of light of construction and a nearly constant buzz of heavy equipment drones along the outside hulls.

"But they are impressive," Versio said.

Pahl shook off her awe long enough to stand up next to him.  "Yes sir.  Very impressive."  She rested her helmet against the railing.  "Is this why you brought me here, sir?"

He nodded slowly, turning to face her more.  "I wanted you to see what you're protecting, Captain Pahl," he explained.  "You are being assigned a new outfit with that as your primary goal."

"The Death Star was ambitious.  Over-ambitious even.  And now the Rebellion has proven that they have a fleet and a taste for blood.  These ships are fast and powerful without the Death Star's weaknesses.  We will decimate the Rebellion's fleet and prove the Empire's true might to the entire galaxy."

Turning to her, Versio looked her in the eye.  "Protect the shipyard and when they are fully operational, you will join us in our victory where you belong, Captain Pahl."

She could picture it.  The fleet of not star destroyers but _decimators_ raining fire down on the kriffing Rebel fleet.  Pulverizing their ships one at a time until all that was left was debris and space junk.  Bombarding hidden bases and territories until nothing was left but a hole in the ground where the Empire would rebuild.  Look at Kuat.  Look at the scars of the planet from the Empire's conquest and how they had healed over with fully functioning cities where citizens had jobs and protection.

The Rebellion challenged all of that.

"They brought chaos to us. We'll have peace again once we wipe them off of every surface," she replied.  "May I ask a question, sir?"

The Admiral moved his head to the side and then looked to the planet itself. Maybe he knew what she was going to ask. “Granted.”

“Why me?”

“Did you have someone more qualified in mind, Captain?” he asked in return.

There had to be a dozen other candidates. She could ruin her chances just by asking but knowing his reasoning was worth the risk. Versio had shown increasing interest in her career lately, mirroring some of the same attention he gave to Hask. No doubt the Admiral had a strong influence on her childhood colleague and she wasn’t about to turn that down.

“No, sir. The Admiral’s line of thinking is sound and this assignment does apply to my skills.” Pahl decided the risk of asking to see his vision was worth it. “Why me and not Commander Hask?”

As the silence hung between them, Pahl thought she might have overstepped her bounds, but then Versio pursed his lips in thought. “Commander Hask has another assignment of equal importance but you are my choice for this assignment, not him,” he explained. “You came from humble beginnings, did you not, Captain?”

Clinching her jaw shut, she looked toward the edge of the shipyard, but far enough that she could keep the planet in the corner of her eye. Kuat. It was home, but for a civilian living among military, life was strict and hard.

Versio continued. “One of Kuat’s many orphans, I understand. You and Hask have that in common.” He looked to her briefly before focusing on the lights of the planet. “Is this making you uncomfortable, Captain?”

Pahl shook her head. “No, sir. I’m not afraid of my past, nor am I afraid of the truth.”

“You see, Captain, I have been keeping an eye on you because you show potential that your peers do not. You understand the clawing fight for status. You understand the value of peace. I want to give you a chance to serve the Empire in glory and to be respected for those efforts.” Versio held his arm out toward the planet. “ _This_ is where you belong, standing above your conquest as a symbol of the Empire.”

“Eventually, I see you standing here in my place, Pahl.”

Versio‘s reputation as highly influential was well-founded. He was not only a powerful man capable of commanding physical action, but also preserving his legacy as if he was the Emperor himself. Any number of officers serving in high positions could name Versio as a positive influence on their career. Hask was another shining example. Now Ferah Pahl would be listed among them and even further.

The man may have lost his daughter—his flesh and blood legacy—but he was securing more than just her in Pahl.

“Thank you, sir,” Pahl replied. Her tone was carefully guarded and even but she couldn’t keep the gratefulness fully out of her smile. “I am honored and humbled at this opportunity to serve the Empire to my fullest capability, as well as you, sir.”

He smiled, accepting. “Good,” he said. “I know that you, that Hask—everyone here—will do the Empire proud.”

“I have measures in place that will get us the location of the Alliance facilities without all of the manual searching by the time this fleet is finished construction. Then we can use the Empire’s resources more wisely.” He nodded to her in approval. “Be ready, Captain Pahl.”

She gripped her helmet and squared her shoulders. “Yes sir. I will not fail you.”

—

According to Danic, he had gone to send a transmission to a contact he had in the Rebellion. Verifying that Gideon Hask and Del Meeko truly were allies. Gideon found it both useful but also disturbing that the partisan cells had contact with the Rebellion. The Alliance denied any connection with them anymore and Saw Gerrera himself had parted ways with the Alliance leaders for not making any progress long before Jedha.

Partisan and Alliance relations were the very thing of nightmares for senior leaders. The real issue was how it left the people on the ground. Gideon wondered how much contact Danic’s cell did have with the Alliance and how much information he would be able to get from them. Enough to verify and it meant that he had access to the Alliance’s sensitive information. Not enough to verify and it could be the end of their mission.

Danic didn’t look happy either way when he returned, but at least the partisans had taken their binders off and let them sit on the ground rather than kneel.

“You’re here for a reason,” Danic said. He’d come to a stop in front of Gideon again, staring down at the man. “I want to know what it is.”

The thing was, Gideon didn’t like being talked down to at all, even if it was physically. Usually, it wasn’t a problem as there were few people taller than him. He climbed to his feet, angling his chin so he was looking down at Danic to have the conversation instead.

Danic stood his ground. That was a good start. “You have a plan for being here and I need to know what it is.”

Slowly, the partisans started to come over. The young man Tanus first—he seemed like he was barely old enough to shave his face but he couldn’t be older than twenty. Then the curious Quarren Namren who was dressed in soft clothing and clasped her hands in front of herself in a neutral way. Then Julen, who made Gideon wonder if she was a relative of Danic—certainly they fought like relatives.

Lastly, Iden herself, lingering back behind Danic and watching with folded arms. She was listening, but she was far prepared to not like what she would hear even before she heard it. Out of all of them, she would be the hardest to win over.

“Our mission is the Kuat shipyards,” Gideon said at last. He rested his hands behind his back, taking his stance of power. Instead of presenting his intel to the admiral, he was standing at the head of a ragged group of fighters and proving that he was worthy of their attention. “Specifically, to destroy them.”

Namren tapped her fingers together—curiosity or nerves. Without the human facial features, Gideon found her hard to read. “How do you plan to accomplish this? The structure is enormous. It would take the most well-timed explosives planted all across it..”

“The amount of people you’d need to get that done along is impossible,” Julen interrupted.

Namren nodded slowly in agreement.

Next to him, Del stood up too, standing at Gideon’s shoulder. “There are already explosives planted all over the station. The docked ships.”

Julen gave an explosive laugh. “You’re planning on blowing up all of those ships? This is insane.. Danic, we don’t have to listen to this, just throw them out. Or let me kill them.”

No one else followed her example though—no one saw the humor in it, certainly not Danic. He held up a hand to veto her comment, as the gesture did nothing to silence her. “If you could just blow up all of those ships, why hasn’t anyone done it before?”

Gideon quirked a brow at him in return. “Why haven’t you?”

Julen growled softly, and Tanus glowered at him for the comment. Danic guarded his expression carefully. Maybe had did have some skill at the leadership game.

Looking to Del, Gideon nodded. He could give the details much better, so long as he didn’t get sidetracked by the technical details

“All of the ships in docking bays are hooked up to the central computer that oversees progress and reports on the ship’s data systems,” Del said. “It can’t be just overloaded—there are security systems that would detect overloads and shut down contact with the ships. If we bypass security, force the link to the central computer to stay open, we can feed systematic viruses to the ships. They should go off one-by-one until the entire ring is disintegrated.”

Suddenly, Julen wasn’t smiling anymore, nor was anyone else. Namren continued to tap her fingers together.

They were buying the plan. Little by little, it was sounding as if it could work. The partisans were the last piece and once they were fully integrated into the plan, it would be whole. Gideon let out a breath slowly, feeling his apprehension leave with it.

“You’ll never get into the computer core,” Iden said, lifting her head quickly. “Or past the automated security. Even if you do, there’s no way that this can be done remotely.”

The corner of Gideon’s mouth twitched as if he was trying to smile. He liked her challenge. Standing toe-to-toe with her was much more appealing than anyone else in the room. He wondered, not for the first time, why Danic was leading them and she was not.

Del shook his head. “No, it couldn’t be done remotely. We’d need to be in the core for it to work. And um..” He glanced at Gideon before looking back. “It’ll take some time to run its course.”

“I know the security,” Gideon said. “I know what we’re getting into. Just the two of us though; we need some help. That’s why we’re here. You’re more than skilled at getting onto Kuat and causing trouble, aren’t you?”

He looked back at Danic, staring the man straight in the eye. “How would you like to spare the civilians and really _hurt_ the Empire for once?”

The Zabrak maintained a straight face, unflinching across from Gideon, but he was considering it.  He had to be just by the way he was holding his arms around his chest, calculating the sincerity on Gideon's face.  _Trust me_ , he thought.  _Trust me and do this._

"I don't like this," Julen said, shaking her head.

"No, she's right."  Tanus stepped up to Danic's shoulder.  The apprentice; the advisor.  "We need to talk about this because this is bull-shab!  I don't trust them."  He turned a hard expression on the two of them. Danic remained unmoved.

Gideon didn't dare to look away from them.  They had access to firearms and it could quickly escalate, even with Dio clipped to Del's back.  The little droid was fast but it was the only weapon they had and it couldn't take out five of them at once.  He ran through scenarios in his head, all taking place in an instant.  Most of the results were not favorable.

By contrast though, he could almost feel how relaxed Del felt next to him, and as a result, the droid was still in a low power mode.  They should all be on the same side.  They had the same goal in mind.  However, the alliance they were forming was already so tense that it wasn't helping the nagging memories of market explosions that the partisans had caused in the past. 

He knew he shouldn't be so eager to break their alliance but if a fight did spring up, he wouldn't hesitate.

Danic turned away suddenly, touching the comm unit in his ear.  Tanus huffed in frustration, stepping away from him and shaking his hands out.  Releasing tension.  When Danic turned back, something certainly had changed--his mind was made up and there would be no changing it.

"We'll do it," he said. 

"Callum-!" Julen started, but he cut her off with a swift glare.

"No.  We're doing this.  This is the biggest chance we've had to make a difference."  He took a step closer to Gideon, holding his tight expression for a second longer before he held out his hand.  "My contact verified you, Commander Hask.  We'll work with you."

Some of the tension dissolved out of the air, but not all of it.  Julen looked as though she was ready to throw a grenade into the mix without a care about it in the least.  Gideon could only imagine how she was in combat.  Tanus was actively chewing the inside of his lip.  And Iden.  She caught Gideon's eyes with an icy return before she turned to leave the cavern. Danic was going to have his hands full keeping all of them in line.

\--

There were still a lot of details to work out--such as how Hask expected to get back to Kuat without suspicion.  It was all in hand though, but with the trust so fragile, they needed some additional time.

Rather, Hask wanted the convenient moment alone with Iden.  He found her near the shuttlebay, scrubbing a set of armor.  It had been white at one point, now it was dusty colored with splashes of red.  A secondary chore for the partisans. 

The act struck him with an unusual feeling as he watched her.  He and Del had access to any kind of armor that they needed--clean, undamaged, there for the taking.  The partisans had to scrounge from the dead.  It could have been the armor from the trooper they had killed earlier.

He shook it off.  That man would be known as a sacrifice for the Empire and he was ultimately the enemy in white.  Thinking that he stood next to them while they faced the partisans only to be lead to his death was a crippling line of thought.

Iden didn't look up but she knew she was being watched.  Just waiting for him to make the first move.

"I know your father," he said.

Her shoulders tensed but she kept her back to him.  It wasn't trust, he thought, that she was allowing him to see her back.  It was the same reason she was hiding in a cave with partisans who made single, insignificant strikes against what they perceived as the Empire.  Iden should know how to do better.

"You say that as if you think I would care about it," she said. 

Iden didn't have Garrick's accent but she had his commanding voice.  Actually, she didn't sound like an Imperial at all.  When he looked at her though, he saw it.  Same discipline and focus.  Her training had done her well, but there were other factors at work.

How did she perceive him?  Certainly, she didn't know his face but he knew that look of recognition as soon as he said his name.  She knew his story.

He walked closer, waiting until he moved around the other side to face her before he spoke to her again.  She could choose whether or not she wanted to look up at him.  "I thought you might want to know how he is.  It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

"It's been three," she said.  "Three years since I last set foot there and it hasn't been nearly long enough."  Now she did look up at him.  Expectant.  Why was Hask here and what did he want with her?

He clasped his hands behind his back and gave her space.  They would have to work together and they needed to find their peace.

Iden Versio made his secondary objective a lot harder.  It was much easier to pin blame on the Partisans when the lost daughter of his mentor wasn't among them.  Except that to send her back would be to make her part of the Empire and an enemy.  He breathed out.  Deal with the complications later.

Sitting up, she set the armor on her knees, half scrubbed through the dirt and blood.  "In a way, it's good to know that you did live up to your family's reputation as traitors, Hask," she said blandly.  "At least I know loyalty."

He pressed his lips together and then forced it into a smile--the opposite of what she was attempting to get out of him.  It would be too easy to rile her up.  They could fight right here.  There were plenty of weapons.  Gideon was quite a bit bigger than her but he knew her father.  She would be a fierce fighter.

Instead, he calmed himself down, releasing the harsh emotions into a chamber to be bottled up for later when he would deal with the Partisans for good.  "I am loyal to this cause.  We're on the same side, Iden."

She pointedly raised her eyebrows at him.  "Really.  Hard to tell with you spies.  When you show up in that uniform, claiming to know my father, what am I supposed to expect?"  She picked up the scrubber again, getting back to work.  "Once a traitor, always a traitor, Hask."

He let out a sharp laugh through his nose. “You of all people know what we’re up against, Iden. You know their lies. My parents didn’t betray the Empire; the Empire betrayed them!” It came out harder than he wanted. Gideon didn’t want to tip his hand but the control regarding his family had been hard. So many years of being looked down upon, questioned, tested. Now the same here with her. Someone who should understand.

But Iden did understand. She was just as snappy about her father too. Running away from the source of her rage didn’t take it away.

He could push that point to a head too. “The Empire has hurt all of us here. That is our common ground.”

Dropping the armor, she jumped up to her feet and Gideon felt his body tense for the brewing fight. A nerve, at last.

She scowled at him. “I don’t care about the kriffing Empire, it’s him! Everything he loves. I want to see it all burn.”

Hask slowly smiled. This was how it felt to be on the other end, to be like Versio digging at old wounds until Hask finally snapped. It felt _good_. It was progress. “Use that rage. We will burn it all.”

For a moment, he thought he won as Iden stepped back. She smiled a little herself. They were in this together, no matter their reasons.

It was over in a second though as he caught movement over her shoulder and the horned head of Danic. “You might have passed for the Rebellion, Hask, but these are my halls. I don’t want either one of you, or that droid, running around unattended. Stay to the main hall,” he ordered. “Or we will have trouble.”

Iden looked to the side as she listened; she knew that tone. Then she looked up at Hask again. “Do it. Don’t question him.”

Experience maybe, not all respect yet.

Hask held his hands up. “I was just going.” As he headed back toward the cavern, he didn’t hear Danic’s footsteps behind him. That was definitely a time they could have used Dio to listen in. It was too early though. What ever they were talking about, it would have to wait.

\--

Danic waited until he heard Hask’s footsteps going further down the cave before he spoke, but he never took his eyes off of her. “Breathe,” he said. “Breathe out, Iden.”

She did, in a short and strangled sounding burst of air. Then she closed he eyes, concentrating on breathing in and out slowly, feeling her heart rate calm down back to normal. She had been there for three years and Danic knew her well by now. He seemed to know when she needed space and when she said she needed it, but didn’t really want it.

“Did you know he’d be here?” she asked once she opened her eyes again.

Walking closer, he reached down to pick up the pieces of armor off of the floor, brushing off some of the new dirt with his hand. “The new trooper was about Tanis’ size. We’ll need to use it soon by the sounds of it.”

"Danic."

He lifted his eyes to her, still holding the armor in place.  "I wanted to see where he would go.  You know him, don't you?"

Iden licked her lips, but she nodded, admitting to it.  She was guarded, she had been since she joined them and for good reason with where she came from, but not as much with him.  Trust had been allowed to exist between them and over time the bond strengthened.  Certainly Danic knew her better than anyone else in the group and Iden knew him.

Lowering herself, she sat back down on the rock.  "I know his name, but I don't know him.  It was one of those warning stories that we all grew up with--his parents were an example."

When she stopped talking, Danic sat down across from her, not caring that he was just sitting in the dirt, and he held his arms around his knees, relaxing into the pose to relax her.  If he was at ease, she would be too.  Leading by example was one of his first lessons.  He tried to follow it.

"I've got time.  I want to hear the story," he said.

"Well, it was a long time ago.  I was a child."  She sat up straighter.  "They are from Kuat.  The Hasks were officers; high-ranking and influential.  During one of the attacks--from a cell like this I imagine--they turned and fought against the Empire.  They destroyed a military transport center."

"They just turned, like that?" Danic asked, frowning.

Iden shrugged her shoulders.  "There were confessions.  Interviews.  They used their positions to get to power and when it wasn't enough, they wanted to turn on the Empire too.  Ambitious people do ambitious things."  She forced a smile that had no happiness to it.  "I know that firsthand too."

Danic nodded in agreement.  She did.  More than most if what she said about her father was true. 

"So they were an example of betraying the Empire?" he asked.

"They were publicly executed," she said.  "I don't know if he was there for that, I imagine he was, but I know he was there during the attack.  After that, having the name Hask was the biggest black mark anyone could ask for--lucky for him, he's the only child they had."

All from a partisan attack though.  It didn't make Danic feel any better to hear the story.  Ambitious, power-hungry parents who decided to take destiny into their own hands, and a history with the partisan attacks.  He trusted his contact in the Alliance--the verification couldn't be wrong. 

"We had a hand in this," Danic said, looking back at her.  "What we're doing here.  We're just fleas on a gundark to the Empire, we're not making a difference." 

She started to narrow her eyes, silently telling him not to continue his line of thought, but Danic had to complete it.  He had to say it outloud.  "All we're doing is creating more Gideon Hasks."

"We _can't_ trust them," she insisted.

"The opportunity to do something this big is too great."  He reached forward, grasping her arm.  "We have to do this for all of the harm that we've caused in the name of doing something good.  The Empire _is_ worse.  They need to suffer like we have.  They deserve it."

Iden looked down at his hand.  "Tell that to the others when we're betrayed again.  When we lose more people, because it won’t be ‘if’. It’ll be ‘when’.”

“We still have to try.” He pulled his hand back, resting it on his knee again. “I’m not ashamed of what we’ve done, but wasting the lives we have lost by not taking this opportunity—we can’t afford that. Trust me, Iden.”

“I trust you,” she said, sighing. “But I don’t trust outsiders. Especially not when they have my father written all over them.”

It was understandable from Danic’s view. They did come wearing Imperial uniforms, but how else would they have gotten inside? No, they had been down this road repeatedly. He needed to focus on the opportunity and push his people—his soldiers—to be ready. “What about the other one,” he said. “Meeko? Do you know him?”

Iden looked up toward the doorway into the cave, considering the question. “I’ve never seen him before; his name isn’t familiar. His accent is Imperial though. He’s from one of the core worlds.”

“That doesn’t tell us much. Anyone can have a homeworld accent,” Danic replied.

“Or fake one,” she said.

A lot was undecided and a lot was left up in the air. It was too soon for definite answers about anybody. Danic hated going into situations blind. That might have been how things used to be for them but it wasn’t anymore. Procedures changed under his leadership, even if it caused tension. It was for the better.

He’d made this decision too and he was sticking with it. They would just have to find out who Meeko was, and whether or not Hask was true to his word.

He scuffled on the ground, drawing his feet underneath himself so he could stand up. “We’ll have plenty of time to find out the truth then since he’s staying with us when Hask goes back.”

Iden looked up at him. “That will be interesting…”

\--

_"Del, honey--come stand over here."_

_Making a reluctant face, Del trudged over to the stand of clothes and his mother looking at them appreciatively.  He liked going to the evening markets when the city was still warm and people were still out, but being put on display for new clothes was not his favorite._

_"There."  Sarli Meeko positioned him next to the humanoid mannequin, pulling at the new clothes, testing their length and holding Del's arm out to compare.  "Cerin, we should get him some new clothes while we're here.  He's about to grow out of some of his pants."_

_Cerin Meeko didn't look as amused about it either but he gave his son a sympathetic smile, walking around to his other side.  "He can wear Farim's old clothes.  If he grows like his brothers, he'll grow out of the new clothes in a few weeks anyway," he said._

_"He needs more than just hand-downs for clothes," Sarli said.  "We'll buy his pants long and he can roll them up."_

_"Mum.."  Del started to squirm at all of the scrutiny._

_Finally she did take pity on him though, smiling fondly and planting a kiss on his forehead.  "You are going to be tall, just like your father."  Cerin towered over him at the moment but Del was quickly catching up, sprouting up like a young tree--thin and limber._

_"Go on," she said, pressing a few credits into his hand.  "Go pick up some chayla fruit."_

_The boy's face lit up and he threw his arms around her for only a second before he dashed off, just a few market stalls down.  Chayla fruit was his favorite, only coming from the planet Floreta.  With the war going on, travel was restricted but Del still dreamed of going to Floreta just to smell all of the ripening chayla as it came into season._

_He passed a pair of clones in the market on patrol and one of them broke his focus to wave at him.  "Evening, Del!"_

_Turning mid-stride, Del grinned back at him and waved enthusiastically.  Clones all looked the same, but they weren't all alike.  "Hello Lancer!"_

_They were a frequent sight on the streets in Coruscant, but Del was never intimidated by them.  Just a few nights ago, he had even stood out on a balcony of the Jedi Temple, watching the clash of the clones and Separatist droids in the sky above them.  It was exciting to see a piece of the war, wondering which streaks of light belonged to General Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker._

_Cerin stood with his hands on Del's shoulders during the battle, his apprehension of the fight palpable over Del's excitement.  'I hope you never have to participate in that,' he had said, rubbing Del's back._

_It didn't make sense to him at the time.  Cerin worked on the clone's warships for the Republic.  Del had grown up in the Temple--the Jedi would protect them.  What was there to be afraid of?_

_He stopped at the chayla vendor, offering out the credits in exchange for several hand-picked chaylas.  As his hand touched the last chayla to place in his bag, he paused, listening to a thread of anxiety tingling the back of his neck._

_The vendor smiled warmly at him.  "See you next week, Del."_

_It was nothing.  Just a stray sense in the market.  Del grinned back.  "The Force of others be with you."_

_But the feeling didn't fade as he turned away.  Del looked around for the clones--the security for the planet.  They were nowhere to be found.  Were they called away?_

_He didn't see his parents either.  Perhaps they wandered further down the line of vendors or went into a shop.  He was never lost for long; when he focused on their warmth, he was always able to find them.  The Force bonds were strong within the Meeko family and Del was the only one to pick up on the true strength of it._

_Frowning in concern, Del waded through the populated sea of the market, looking for familiar faces or sensations.  It all felt strange though as the sense of anxiety grew down into his chest.  He recognized no faces, he saw no security.  It was as if the market had gone cold and a chilled wind blew through on what should have been a warm night._

_Del suddenly dropped his bag, the blue milk tipping onto its side and spilling over the walkway.  It splattered first and then streamed out into veins, bleeding out in front of him.  He felt death.  Suffering.  Pain and fear._

_His heart raced and the terror clawed at him--he felt freezing and no amount of shaking would make him warm.  People were_ dying _in a horrible way.  The Force felt so dark as though it would never be light again._

_He squeezed his eyes shut, willing it to stop.  He_ knew _these people; he had connection to them.  And he knew the source of their terror._

_Then, his father was there.  Cerin scooped him up, letting Del wrap his legs around his waist, and he headed on a bumpy ride out of the market.  Del didn't let go--he never wanted to, not while his father was there for safety._

_"It's--"  Cerin's voice faltered.  It wasn't going to be okay.  "You're okay, loth-cat.  We have you.  You're okay."_

_Del felt his mother's hand on his arm, steady and warm.  "Cerin, the clones," she said, hushed.  "We need to hurry."_

_As the sound of the markets started to change from commerce to surprise, then to horror, someone cried out.  "The clones are attacking the Temple!  The Jedi turned against the Republic!"_

_Del let out a sob onto his father's shoulder and gripped handfuls of his jacket.  The war had finally come to Coruscant._

—

“How did they take the rest of the plan?”

“About as well as can be expected,” Del said. “You missed quite a stir about losing their ship to the explosions. Getting to use yours, though, is quite an upgrade. They should be happy with that.”

Gideon planted his hands on his hips, looking back at him. “We’ll see. Just make sure they can’t get into anything important.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve gotten it all taken care of.” Del gave him a lopsided smile and he motioned toward Gideon’s torso. “Did you want to take your jacket off first?”

It was actually part of the plan, just not a part that Gideon particularly enjoyed. He looked down at his uniform jacket, but then shook his head. “No, it’ll be better if we get some blood on it. Just-.. Del. Don’t knock me out.”

Del held his hands up innocently. “Admittedly, it is a lot easier to do this when I’m not trying to curb punches.”

“Yeah, sure, sure..” Gideon got down on his knees, making a stable base on the ground. Then he breathed in slowly and out again. Focusing. Part of the plan. _His_ kriffing plan.

“Second thoughts?”

Gideon rolled his eyes. “Just hit me, Meeko.”

All part of the plan. As Del choked up on the end of the borrowed blaster rifle, he also took a moment to center himself. Gideon had seen it countless times. Centering with breath, with the small movements of his lips to whisper a prayer and then setting his shoulders, hips and the rest of his body. Then Del was in the moment.

“The Force go with you on your journey and return you back unharmed,” he said. Then he gave Gideon a sympathetic look. “Mostly.”

Swinging the rifle, he hit Gideon’s face, throwing him to one side. It wasn’t as hard as Del could swing by any means and the rifle both to save Del’s hands from injury and to catch skin and maximize the appearance of bruises with less effort. Gideon shook his head lightly, gasping as he worked his jaw. “For kriff’s sake, Del..”

Del frowned—it didn’t make him feel any better either, injuring his partner. “Would you rather one of them do it?”

Gideon closed his eyes, thinking of Del’s centering technique. Breathe, pray, center. Focus. For the plan.

“No,” he said, sitting up again. Blood started to drip from a few cuts and he let it roll down his face. They needed to do this now so the injuries didn’t look too fresh. “You’ll get more enjoyment out of it.”

He took a moment, pressing his lips together and showing consideration. “You might actually be onto something with that.” Then he swung at him again—another blow to the head.

It knocked him down to his hands. Gideon spit blood out onto the dirt, breathing through the pain. Focus. Focus on the plan.

The admiral would question such a long absence. Hask ran into trouble with the partisans. The caves were deeper than anticipated.

Another blow to his side this time, working on the side of his ribs. Gideon grunted at the pain but he held up.

The partisans had reinforcements. Hask took a few troopers with him but they didn’t make it. He had to fight his way out from the enemy’s stronghold but not before rigging it to explode.

Del swung again, sending Gideon to his hands one more time. He coughed, squeezing his eyes shut and digging his fingers into the dirt. He wasn’t even paying attention to what Del was doing anymore, not until he felt his hands on his shoulders, pushing him up to sitting one more time. Then he opened his eyes.

One eye would swell. His nose was bleeding down his face. It wasn’t the worst he’d endured, just the worst on purpose.

“Actually, that wasn’t enjoyable at all,” Del said, smiling slightly.

Gideon tried to laugh softly, but it started to make his side throb. “Oh, I’m sure that’s a lie. Give me a minute, then I’ll help you with the charges.”

“How about more than a minute.” Del crouched down on the ground too. “We set the charges, you get out of here. Contact me when you have a chance. I’ll get them started on recon.”

That was the plan. The partisans lay low, pretend to have been blown up by a single special forces soldier, and turn up a few days later in the city to scope out a way to distract from a plan against the shipyards. What could possibly go wrong?

Actually, Gideon didn’t like leaving Del behind. They had done too many missions like this together. When they were separate, they couldn’t watch each others’ backs.

Breathing. Focus. Gideon half-heartedly slapped Del’s shoulder. “Be careful. Remember who to trust.”

“When we are in balance, the Force will show us the way,” Del replied. “I will be careful. You better be too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debriefs are a pain.

Chapter 4

It was a rough ride on a crowded troop transport back to Kuat.  Normally transport jumpseats were uncomfortable but Del had given his ribs a lot of punishment.  Hask felt every bump and twitch of the ship as they entered atmosphere over Kuat.  The trip gave him the time to formulate his report in his head.  It had to be flawless.  All of the actions actually happened and none of it was altered.

He refused the bacta tank at Prosperity base's medbay--others needed the bacta more than him.

Sitting on the treatment bed, Hask pressed on the edges of the bacta bandage over his ribs to make certain it was secure.  It would heal in a few days, but the nagging pain reminded him to stay focused on the mission.  Remember what this was all about; do not get caught up in the memory of Kuat.

"Please hold still, sir."  The medical droid had been programmed with pleasantries but it hardly sounded sincere.  For all of the Empire's technology, surely they could afford an AI with a better bedside manner.

He winced as it touched the swollen side of his face, applying a bacta cream.  Perhaps a gentler touch.  "I am holding still," he said in annoyance.

With the smell of bacta came a flood of memories.  Field injuries--patching up Del's leg on a craggy, rock planet.  He still had the scar.  Overzealous training injuries with Pahl as cadets--she broke his nose; his face broke two of her fingers.

His mother leading him down the hospital hallways in her stark white lab coat, watching as military nurses came to attention in her presence.  He had appreciated the attention and respect even then.  Versio had that kind of effect, only his respect was born out of fear and violence--Medical Director Hask waged a war on behalf of the soldiers, armed with science instead of weapons.

As a boy, he walked with her until someone called out the emergency--a bomb went off in the transport hub.  People were pouring in quickly.  His mother grabbed his shoulders.  'Stay here.  Everyone has to do their duty, Gideon. So will you, just not yet.'

As she headed into the crowded, confused mass of incoming patients, the sea of medical staff parted for her and she commanded the ebb and flow of activity from the front lines.  It was hours before she was done and her white lab coat was stained with--..

"Am I hurting you, sir?" the droid asked.

Hask gave it another irritated look.  It wasn't hurting him enough to keep him in the present.  "No.  Just finish the job."

The droid placed a bandage to secure a cut near his eye.  "Yes sir," it said mechanically.  "I apologize."

"Sure you do."

\--

As the droid finished the last of the bandages, he heard the swish of the door opening and the heavy clop of boots on the sterile floor.  Hask turned his head, expecting to see Versio. Instead, it was his aide.

"Commander, the Admiral regrets he could not come himself," the aide said.  He didn't venture much further than the door, planting himself just inside the doorway and clasping hands behind his back.  Effectively blocking the exit. "He was detained with other matters."

Hask reached for his shirt as he stood, turning to face him.  Lieutenant Commander Balren had been Versio's aide for several years now and had fallen into the role much better than his predecessors.  Certainly he had no issue evoking the Admiral's authority in his absence.

In response to the comment, Hask only nodded.  He was sure Versio was not detained at all.  It made him all feel uneasy, but he wasn't going to betray that to Balren.  That would get back to the Admiral instead. "You're here for the debrief?" Hask asked.

Balren stood motionless, but his eyes were drawn to the patch covering Hask's side, then up to his face.  "Yes."

A man of few words.  Hask pulled his shirt on one arm at a time, only pausing at the pain.  He could make Balren wait for it as long as he wanted, but he needed to make his report.

\--

_"This is the last one for us."_

_Del reached up to the corner of the cave wall, securing the detonation charge.  Namren never would have reached it by her height alone, though he had witnessed her recently scale some rocks.  She seemed quite capable of getting to heights on her own when all he needed to do was reach._

_She sighed, looking back down the corridor.  "We've been in these caves for a long time.  It'll be a shame to let them go."_

_"Funny to think of a cave as home, isn't it?"  Del offered her a smile.  "For being as old as they are, they've held up quite well.  The mines were closed years ago."_

_“Many years ago. Perhaps generations, I think,” she agreed._

_Picking up the empty bag, Del paused to share her view. “Does anything else live here? Any animals, other people—anything that we might...”_

_“Blow up?” she continued. “No. Not that I’ve ever seen. It should be safe.”_

_Quarrens didn’t smile, Del had learned, not like other humanoids. Instead, he could feel Namren’s warmth as she touched his arm lightly. “Safe at least this time.”_

—

“The Renmaar caves are too deep to get heat signatures, not even by ground vehicles,” Hask said. “We had to find an entrance near the last known sighting of the ship. The outpost commander wasn’t even certain that they were enemy forces; she had never seen them. Could have been pirates for all they knew.”

Balren had set a holocorder on the exam table for the admiral to review later He stepped back allowing Hask to dictate the report. Certainly he had submitted plenty of reports to the admiral as it was and didn’t need Balren’s input.

“Mission details only, Commander.”

It was a mission detail; what if he had shown up to the planet and they were only traders hoping to avoid detection? Hask started to narrow his eyes but the swelling on the side of his face made him think better of it. “A base commander’s assessment is a necessary tool on the ground,” he said in a hard tone.

“I took two troopers from the outpost’s garrison who knew the surface. We landed the shuttle and continued to a cave entrance on foot. Security measures were anticipated."

—

_Tanus dropped an empty bag that had once contained charges onto the floor of the cavern.  "What good is it going to do to blow up our ship?"_

_"Once we detonate the charges, they will send a patrol out to investigate.  They should find wreckage," Namren replied.  Del had found that even though her voice was quiet and her tone gentle, her words were heeded._

_He had explained the plans to them several times while they handed out the charges.  Tanus argued, Julen didn't bother to listen, but Namren considered all of it.  She understood.  Del hadn't earned his voice with them yet.  But all it had taken was the simple explanation from Namren and Tanus settled down._

_Grumbling, he grabbed a protein bar out of one of their remaining food stores and sat down on a box across from Julen.  "It's a good ship all the same."_

_Julen looked down the edge of a knife, judging its sharpness as she worked on filing down some of the wear.  Absent work for an absent time, waiting for the next orders.  "We should just use these charges on the outpost.  It's a waste for the caves.  Just hide while we blow up_ our _home?"_

_"I've told you exactly how fast it would take for a destroyer to get here once we touch that outpost," Iden said without bothering to lift her head.  "Multiple times.  It's not worth the energy."_

_"They're kriffing Imperials, they're_ always _worth killing."  Julen spat on the dirt._

_Namren tilted her head to the side.  "Looking at them that way makes you no different from them, Julen."_

\--

"We staggered ourselves in the caves.  It was necessary to get the enemy's attention to draw them out--draw them into us instead of letting them take us by surprise."

The fewer details, the easier it was going to be to keep track of later.  No matter how much rehearsal he had, there would be questions.  Typically Versio wasn't concerned with the small details anyway. Except when he was.

Balren gave no indication, standing straight and motionless.

Hask started to button his shirt. “TK-574—trooper from the outpost—triggered one of the security measures. It exploded. Blew his legs off. It attracted the enemy before we were prepared and we were overwhelmed. In order to complete the mission, I ordered a surrender. We would take them out from inside heir camp.”

—

_Danic moved the last of their food stores to one of the further caverns, though Del had instructed them to leave behind anything that could be spared. The more debris left behind, the better the story when it was checked. And, Del assured them, it would be checked._

_“Your friend demands a lot to make his story work,” Danic said gruffly, sliding the food container into place with the others. “I assume he is your friend. I also assume that this will work.”_

_Their protest was not unexpected at all. Del thought if Gideon really was there instead, he would have been a lot less tolerant of it. Cranky came to mind. Fortunately for the partisans though, all grumbling and complaint was met with Del’s patient smile._

_“He is my friend, yes,” he replied. “And, the best lies are built on truth.”_

_Danic stopped moving, facing Del head on—no smile, no amusement. It took Del a minute to read into the tension, that-.. He had said the wrong thing._

_Del’s smile faded. He could feel the others moving around the much smaller cavern. Julen was still sharpening her knife with slow, careful strokes._

_“It’s true though,” Del said, breaking the silence._

_He turned around, looking at them from Danic, to Iden’s impatient glare, to Namren and her quiet serenity. “I’m not much of a liar myself. The Force makes itself known in the truth and the truth in all things is the Force.”_

_There was another long slicing noise as Julen scraped the sharpener slowly down the knife. It had to be sharp by now. The noise was just for show or she truly wanted to ruin the blade. Del wouldn’t be surprised by that._

_“Where did you come by all of those fancy sayings?” she asked. “It’s dangerous to talk about the Force anymore.”_

_Del breathed out slowly. Yes, it really was. He had plenty of proof to support it. In fact, he was such proof. “That is a story for another time. For now, we have a job to finish.”_

—

“They weren’t Rebels, they were Partisans. Left over from Jedha,” Hask explained. The distinction on his report was important. Maybe not to Balren and his expressionless face, but it was for Hask. It would be for Versio.

“They weren’t Rebels, they were Partisans. Left over from Jedha,” Hask explained. The distinction on his report was important. Maybe not to Balren and his expressionless face, but it was for Hask.  It would be for Versio once he heard it.

Hask continued.  "We were brought to the interior of their operation where they killed TK-508.  It was done without hesitation and with no questions.  We regret the loss of both troopers."

"I offered information to the location and security of the outpost--the Partisans were divided on attacking it.  They were chaotic.  The so-called leader had little control over them.  Not believing my information, they beat me trying to the truth."

Belran narrowed his thin eyes.  "How much information did you provide to the enemy, Commander?"

"As much as was necessary, Lieutenant-Commander," Hask replied in an unimpressed tone.  "Most of it was false."

The aide blinked instead; a reminder that he had only conducted these kinds of interviews a handful of times.  He did not fill the Admiral's boots.  " _Most_ of it.  How much information did you give to them?"

"Pause recording," Hask said. 

The holocorder beeped softly and the blue recording light went out.  He waited until it was off the record before he spoke again.  "I don't believe your security clearance is high enough for that question."

Belran pushed a short breath out through his nose, sounding like an animal snorting as it was ready to charge into a fight.  "I speak for the Admiral, Commander Hask.  Answer the question."

"The Admiral trusts my judgment, Belran," Hask snapped. 

"Your _judgment_ is under question."  Belran set his jaw, standing as the unmoving pillar that represented a man of power.

He picked his battles.  Belran would cave, but was Hask willing to put in the effort, or did he want to save it for Versio.  It didn't comfort him if what Belran said was true.  Versio had sent his aide in his place because he already suspected something.  The question was, what had brought it on?

Belran wouldn't know.  He was following orders and relishing in his artificial authority.

Willing the muscles in his shoulders to soften, Hask stood down.  It wasn't worth the effort.  "Resume recording."  The holocorder's blue light turned on again.  "The best lies are the ones built on truth."

\--

_Julen had stopped sharpening her knife at last, but she was still playing with the sharpening stone, the knife safely back inside her boot.  Sitting with her feet up on a box and her back against the stone wall, she looked casual enough, tossing the stone back and forth.  Del caught a glance of how her hands shook when she held the stone still, but once she had something to focus on, the shaking stopped._

_"Shouldn't we be on the surface?" Tanus questioned.  "How are we supposed to know that these caves won't all collapse and keep us in here?"_

_The younger man's nerves were not as honed as Julen's, Del noted.  Most of the questions came out of his mouth.  Danic seemed to tolerate it--in some ways he encouraged it by always answering instead of teaching Tanus to keep it to himself.  It seemed harmless enough but Tanus' anxiety could be contagious._

_Danic lifted his head. The entire atmosphere was heavy with waiting.  Gideon needed the time to get to the surface before they set off the detonators.  But the waiting was the hardest part--Julen's nervous hands and Tanus' anxious questions._

_"We can't be on the surface when the patrol comes.  They'll see us," Danic said.  "We stick to the plan."_

_Iden looked at Del directly, raising a pointed eyebrow.  "And the strength of the caves?"_

_"We'll be safe in here.  We've distributed the charges enough to direct the blast away from us."  Del smiled warmly.  "Plenty of debris for the Empire to sift through, but no signs of us."_

_Tanus scuffed through the dirt for a few steps.  "So, you've done this before?"_

_That was the question.  Not in caves like these.  They had relocated to a cavern being used for storage and once they hooked up their generator to the old mining lights, they even came to life.  The whole rig above them was shaky and old._

_"Not… exactly," he said carefully.  "I mean, I have blown up plenty of objects, and structures. Nothing has ever gone catastrophically wrong,"_

_"Comforting," Julen said with a bland look, squeezing the stone with one hand._

_“We are as safe as we can be,” Namren replied. Sharing another side of Iden’s box, she was a picture of calm against Tanus’ turbulence, but the feeling didn’t carry as well as fear did. Namren couldn’t change them with just her words or demeanor._

_Placing her hand back into the box, Iden turned to look back at her. “Are you sure about that? One of the southern caves collapsed last week and nearly blocked me in.”_

_“Wait.” Julen dropped her feet with a thump and leaned forward, zeroing her gaze on Iden. “What the kriff were you doing in the south tunnels? Were you alone?”_

_Del had been under Julen’s scrutiny, very recently even. When she set her sights on something, there seemed to be no escaping the heat of her eyes. Iden sat up straight though, unwavering. “It’s none of your damn business.”_

_Danic scrubbed his face with his hands.  "How much longer?  He's had plenty of time to get away from the blast zone."_

_If they were kept in there for too much longer, Tanus might actually wear a hole in the floor. Del had wanted to give Gideon as much of a head start as he could and if he was honest, he didn’t like the separation that much either. The whole plan felt vulnerable. He drew in his senses, feeling a blanket of serenity as he centered his mind away from the negative thoughts._

_“Dio?” he asked._

_The seeker droid had found a shelf next to Iden where it could settle and quietly observe. So long as its optical light was off, it didn’t appear that it was monitoring. It only took a single command to wake it again though and the droid popped up, extending its antenna._

_It took a moment to process, the droid’s internal hardware whirling softly as if it was actually thinking. It looked to Del and beeped, retracting a storage compartment lid on its head and ejecting a small control at great speed toward him. Reaching out into the air, Del snatched it, grinning back at the droid._

_Tanus jumped at the sound of the controller and grasped at his chest as if his heart was going to beat out of it. “Kriffing hell!”_

_“Stop being so jumpy. It’s just a droid,” Julen grumbled._

_Turning to look at him, the droid gave a few low frequency beeps, looking down toward Tanus’ feet.  Del tried not to smile too much.  "Dio says he's sorry.  He didn't mean to scare you."_

_Tanus looked at the droid, but he dropped his shoulders again, starting to resume his pacing.  "How can a droid be sorry."_

_Del walked over to Danic, holding out the controller.  "You should be the one to do it.  Gideon cleared the area, Dio confirmed it.  We should be good now."_

_He didn't need to turn to see Iden's eyes on him, he could already feel them on him.  How much of the droid did she understand, he wondered.  That might be an interesting issue in the future._

\--

"How did you free yourself?"

Hask shifted on his feet, breaking his rigid attention to find a more comfortable posture for his throbbing ribs.  There was no such thing as comfortable.  He hadn't even attempted to grab his jacket.

"I overpowered the guards," he said simply.

Balren showed little interest on his face, but his tone remained skeptical instead of neutral.  "By yourself?"

"It was a seventeen-year-old boy."  Hask raised his eyebrows, waiting for another comment that didn't come.  "The Partisans are dangerous but hardly organized.  That was their downfall."

"The leader, a man they were calling Danic, had enough of beating up on my ribs when I wasn't going to tell them anything.  He reconvened with the rest of them in some other part of the cave.  I didn't see where they went.  That was when I was left with the boy and another woman."

"I overpowered them both and made my way out."

Hask paused to breathe.  As much as it irritated to show that he was in pain, watching Balren's eyes travel to where the bacta bandage was under his shirt was useful.  That would sell his story.

"I regret to list my engineer, Del Cerin, as killed in action.  Inform the Admiral that I will talk to his family."

For that, Balren broke his statuesque stillness and nodded his head.  A total of three Imperials dead.  "Noted.  And the targets?"

Hask lifted his chin, resuming his focus.  "The Partisans use bombs on the city; I crossed through their armory.  With no sign of them, I planted as many detonation charges as I could and made my way out.  I detonated them once I cleared the caves.  I heard their ship go up in the blast--the fire must have carried through more of the tunnels to get to it."

\--

_Danic pressed the button and it was one--two breaths, and then the walls shook a second before the sound carried to them._

_The first blast rattled the room, knocking a few boxes off of the storage shelves.  Julen gasped audibly, no longer hiding her shaking and in the space that it had taken for the charges to start going off, Danic had inched closer to her.  He reached for her arm and she pulled back at first, but then gripped the sleeve of his jacket.  Her face remained pale even as the sound drifted away._

_The second blast was much less impactful, and the third just a rumbling.  Eventually, it only sounded like a thunderstorm echoing through the caves.  The rickety light system shook and the generator struggled, but the lights only flickered instead of going out._

_Dust fell down from the ceiling even after it finished and Tanus rapidly shook it out of his hair.  He'd finally taken refuge in the corner before the charges went off, though he didn't look any less worried to Del._

_And sitting on top of a box with his legs crossed was Del, watching with a soft gaze.  He didn't focus on any of them.  He felt the reverberations of the blasts--he acknowledged them--but they didn't vibrate him.  As he let out a breath slowly, he focused on the room, the people, the objects, and then energy.  He focused on the Force.  The Force would keep them safe when they needed it the most._

_Del didn't make a show of it; he'd never liked to prove his faith to others by dropping on the ground to pray, but he whispered lightly under his breath, letting his lips move just slightly.  All was in the Force, and all was the Force, and all would be the Force._

_Dio scanned the room slowly and emitted a low, melancholy sounding sound next to his head.  Del smiled at the droid, reaching over to brush some dust off of the top of it.  "We're all right now," he said._

_As he looked away from the droid, Del caught Iden's eyes.  She was watching again.  Observant of her.  He'd noticed her eyes on various events with them so far because Del was also watching to see how people reacted and treated each other.  She was doing the same thing--not just to him, but to the rest of the group as well._

_"Were you praying just now?" she asked carefully. It didn’t draw much attention. In a room full of other people, the conversation somehow still managed to be intimate just with her tone._

_Or perhaps she was all that stood out to him. She was very observant. He liked that idea. The quiet observation as contrast to the impulsive temper that led her to storm out of situations earlier._

_Del nodded his head.  "Yes.”_

_She held his gaze for a little longer. How much did she know about the Force growing up in the Empire? What had she been told about it? How much did that conflict with what she saw now of Del?_

_It was nothing new to him. Del had lived the majority of his life in a galaxy that was hostile to Force-users. There were no Jedi. The Empire demonized their religion. Even the very allies that he stood with knew very little about it being anything other than some kind of mystical power source._

_With Iden, he couldn’t tell. Her thoughts didn’t read on her face; they were too veiled._

_“Well,” she said. “Does this mean that it worked?”_

_That question marked her first steps. “The Force can be the strongest in the absence of faith.”_

_The illusion that they were alone was shattered once Tanus lifted his head where he was sitting. Del took his eyes off of Iden, looking around the room again, finding Tanus staring up at him with a furrowed brow. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he said._

_Del found his way back to Iden and he smiled. “It isn’t supposed to.”_

_\--_

Balren sighed, especially that they had gotten to the end of the debriefing. If it wasn’t for an occasional facial expression, Hask would be convinced that the man was a droid. Though, he had met some exasperated droids that also fit the description.

“What was the mission outcome?” he asked.

“Uncertain,” Hask replied.

The aide pressed his lips together tightly. “Clarify. Were the targets eliminated?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t run back into collapsed and burning caves to check,” Hask said, allowing his pain to amplify his irritation. “Target status is uncertain.”

“Then that is logged. End recording.” As quickly as he had produced it, Balren grabbed the holocorder and it disappeared into a pocket of his uniform.

“The Admiral will be in touch, Commander.” He turned sharply for the door. “Your orders specify that you remain in Prosperity City.”

He would have disappeared through the door without another word had Hask not stopped him. “Wait.” Hask stepped forward, pausing as pain reverberated all the way up his leg into his side with a sharp throb. This was going to be a continuing issue in completing his mission.

At least it caught Balren’s attention and he gave a quarter turn, looking at Hask over his shoulder. However, any of the words Hask was about to say died in his throat. Was the Admiral displeased with him? Had he done something wrong?

The answer was yes, but Versio would let him know personally if he was displeased. He always had in the past. Hask needed to remain focused on the task at hand. Garrick Versio was only the means to keep his position in the Empire. His approval shouldn’t be important. Of course it wasn’t. It never had been. Hask assured himself of it.

“I request to speak with the Admiral in person as soon as possible,” Hask said at last.

Balren nodded shortly and faced the door again, leaving without another word.

The debriefing had taken more energy than anticipated. Hask sunk down onto the exam table again. It was the story he wanted to tell with the evidence he wanted to display. It would get the reaction he wanted; there was no other choice.

The medical droid lifted one of its arms and moved toward him slowly. “Are you in pain, sir? Would you care for an analgesic?”

Hask looked at the droid as if it had grown a second head in the span that he had spent talking to Balren. Was he in pain… An organic would know better than to ask, but it was a droid.

“Yes, I am in pain,” he admitted with a sigh. “Yes, give me something for it.”

“Very well, sir,” the droid replied.

It injected the spray into the side of his neck and Hask closed his eyes, taking some comfort in the warmth of the painkiller drug as it started to calm the aches and throbs.

_Everyone has to do their duty, Gideon._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very much plagued by busy recently so I really apologize with how long this has taken to get another chapter up. But, looking ahead, things do look a lot smoother so hopefully I can keep up a good rhythm. It seems like, actually, taking a small break seemed to help. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5

_"The Temple was already smoking by the time we left the market."_

_Though Sarli was trying to keep her voice low, it still carried into the small sleeping quarters of the ship.  Del sat on the bed.  He hadn't bothered to turn the light on--he was supposed to be sleeping, but he left the door a crack so that light from the brilliant white hallway bled in and kept him company._

_"I didn't even want to risk taking a taxi," Sarli continued.  "There were clones roaming all over the city.  They didn't seem in a hurry but..."_

_Her voice trailed off.  Del moved closer to the door, a thin ribbon of light crossing over his face as he looked out._

_He listened to the hushed voices again--his father, another man, and then the sound of his mother's voice.  Her words were clearer than the others, but it was her tone that struck him the hardest.  Even living at the Temple, a place of peace, one experienced sadness, grief and melancholy.  But he had never heard his mother sound so heartbroken._

_"All of it."  She paused.  He could picture her placing her hand against her face to compose herself again.  "He felt all of it.  Their fear; their anger.  He felt them die."_

_Her voice sounded thick.  Del shivered again and wrapped his arms around himself.  It had taken the entire trip out of the capital for him to stop shaking. He felt as though he might start up again.  The darkness was so strong when he had always been surrounded in light.  Now all that remained was a sliver of light from a doorway in an otherwise darkened room._

_Del drew in a sharp breath as he heard footsteps down the hallway and the familiar voices getting closer.  It was just his parents, but he felt guilty spying on them. He might feel guilty for a long time._

_"We can't go back, it's too dangerous.  The only place to look now is forward."  It was a voice he didn't recognize without seeing the face to go with it, but it also sounded familiar.  The man had a calming voice, as though he commanded respect but was soft about it.  It reminded Del of his mother._

_They stopped outside of his door and Del sunk down away from the light of the hallway, further into the shadows.  "He should be asleep," Cerin said.  But after a moment, his face appeared in the crack of the door and then he opened it, casting a bigger shadow over the light that flooded in._

_Wrapping his arms around his knees, Del didn't even pretend that he hadn't been sleeping, not as he was sitting up on his bed.  He looked up at his father, pressing his lips together.  Had he done something wrong?  It felt very wrong._

_Even as Cerin's face softened, he still felt the guilt wash over him with the light and shadows.  Somehow with Cerin's sympathy, it only made it worse.  Del tried to blink back tears again.  He tried to focus and remain balanced._

_"Oh Del."  Cerin walked in and sat down next to him, wrapping his arms around his thin shoulders and pulling him close.  It used to be that his father's arms brought security but the Force was so far out of alignment that Cerin couldn't fix it just by being there anymore._

_There were no reassurances though.  No one said that it would be okay.  Instead, Sarli turned on the light and Bail Organa smiled at him, trying to turn on as much warmth as he could.  “Hello Del. I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I’m-..”_

_“Senator Organa,” Del said.  He needed to be brave now, not a sniffling and upset little boy.  He tried to sit up straighter, wiped the water out of his eyes.  Brave like his brothers.  Brave like the Jedi._

_"Yes."  Bail nodded gently in agreement.  Instead of talking down to him though, Bail stepped forward and then knelt on the floor, coming down to Del's level.  "I want you to know that you are safe now.  We've left the planet and we are going to take you somewhere safe."_

_In spite of himself, he sniffled again but resisted the urge to wipe his nose on his sleeve in front of his parents and a senator.  "Can we go back?  What about the others? There have to be some left."_

_He felt Cerin's hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles. Sarli looked toward the floor.  "There were a few Jedi who got out but we can't reach the Temple," she said.  "We can't go back, loth-cat."_

_Everything he had ever known.  The beautiful gardens where he climbed trees as long as the gardeners weren't watching, or the training rooms where he saw fantastic displays of dance as the Jedi sparred with one another.  All of his friends.  All of the children his own age.  The set of tools he had gotten for his birthday.  His stuffed loth-cat that his mother had brought him from a trip outside the Temple walls._

_They had just_ been _there, only hours before the market.  Now, it was gone.  Suddenly the clone friends that he had waved to, even sometimes played with on the docks, were not friends at all.  They were the enemy._

_Del swallowed carefully, looking from his mother to the Senator.  "What's happened?  It's so_ dark _.  Everywhere, it's so dark.  There's... the light is gone."_

_Sarli breathed out too in a deep sigh.  "The Force is unbalanced," she said.  Bail looked up at her and she wrapped her arms around herself.  "Next year, Del was to go to Jedha, to the Temple of the Kyber.  He was going to train there with the Guardian of the Whills."_

_"It's too dangerous now," Bail said, shaking his head.  "I'm afraid if this happened to the Jedi, anyone who a connection to the Force will be hunted.  This..."  He clenched his jaw.  Anger—really, barely contained rage.  The shroud of energy around Bail turned darker too.  "This Empire. First the murder of the Republic, and now they have declared war on the Force itself."_

_As soon as the darkness had come, it left again.  Bail almost seemed tired.  So did his mother.  So did his father._

_Del blinked rapidly again, keeping his eyes dry, and looked up at Cerin.  "What do we do now?"_

_Pressing a kiss against the side of Del's head, Cerin held him tighter, enclosing the other side of his head with his hand.  "We need to find your brothers and we need to find somewhere safe."_

_"The Force doesn't die here," Sarli said quietly.  "It lives in us.  In you, Del.  No one can take that away."_

_Senator Organa stood up.  "I will make sure that your family is safe.  We can still fight up against this Empire, but it will take time.  If darkness is their only weapon then they cannot win."  He smiled again at the boy.  "We will find a way."_

_Del chewed on his bottom lip.  "The Force finds a way.  All is possible in the Force."_

\--

Dio's sudden beeping alarm should have startled Del but the droid had been pacing in front of the shuttle door since they got there, so really he had expected it to go off at some point.  It did, however, startle Iden who reached for her sidearm as she stood at the base of the ramp.

Del had wandered off, finding his way back to the ship late in the evening.  It had given him a good long while before anyone noticed him gone evidently, but it didn't last forever as there was Iden, staring down the offending droid.  Del stood up from the cargo container and walked forward, waving Dio out of the way.

"Sorry.  He's a seeker droid, it's in his nature," Del said warmly.  "You're welcome to come in."

The droid picked at Del's jacket with a claw and issued a very offended sounded, low beep at him.  But Del only laughed it off, making a point of turning his back on Iden to go back to what he was doing.  "There's nothing wrong with your programming, Dio.  There are only friends here."

"Friends or not."  The sound of Iden's voice carried closer to his ears as she walked up the ramp and into the cargo area.  "Danic doesn't want you to go anywhere unaccompanied."

He looked over his shoulder at her, offering a small smile that Iden didn't return.  "My apologies.  I'll make sure to take someone with me in the future.  Only, I remembered that I had a map in here that might be some use to us before we go down to the planet."

Without the hum of the engine for background noise, he could actually hear Iden's light steps moving around the hold until she perched on a box.  Her eyes still on him, but hands folded.  Just watching.  "We've got maps," she said.

"I'm sure you do, but so do we.  This one already has some detail laid out."  Del dug through another section of the cargo box, fishing through mostly spare machine and droid parts until he came up with a data stick.  He turned it over in his hand curiously, then he stood up, turning around to face her and sit on the edge of the cargo box lid.

She watched as he held the data stick up and the droid came over with no summoning at all.  "Here," Del said.  "See if this is the map of Prosperity."

The droid whirled at him, reaching to take the data stick with one of its claws and then retracted into itself.

Iden frowned.  "Why didn't you just leave all of your maps in the droid?  It has to have plenty of memory."

Del braced his hands on his knees, letting out a breath that visibly put him at ease.  "Oh, he does.  If we lose the droid though, then we lose everything.  Better to keep hidden stashes."

"Until you lose your stash," she pointed out.

"Spoken like a true spy."  He smiled at her again.  "Aside from assigning me a shadow, your people are rather trusting.  Taking us at our word."  Del held up a hand.  "Which, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful."

Iden the observer.  Whenever he was around the others he could feel her watching.  It wasn't a heavy-handed observation, but more of a curious one.  Guarded behind a stoic Imperial expression.

He could imagine how well she had been taught to hide everything behind a facade of authoritative calmness--just like Hask.  Del only had the insight because of his work with the Empire.  What did the Partisans think of it?

She wasn't all guarded though--the side of her mouth twitched, almost becoming a smile--then she looked down, scoffing at him and the smile that had started to form began to spread.  " _My_ people," she said ruefully.  "No, they're not very trusting at all.  Unless that was sarcasm."

Del tilted his head to the side slightly as if that would give him more insight.  Sometimes Dio even mimicked the action from his companion.  "While normally it would be, I was being serious.  I expected more resistance."

"Trust is hard to come by," she said, looking up at him.

That was experience talking.  The next few moments were going to be his first steps in getting to know Iden Versio.  He had to take them carefully.

"It is.  It takes a lot of building," Del replied.  "How long have you been here, Iden?"

As she looked up at him, Del realized how young she had to be--certainly younger than him; younger than Gideon even.  A few years into adulthood and already fighting a war.  In her case, against her own people.

Her guard had dropped around him.  There was a brush of chill in the air that raised the hairs on his arm.  This meeting was meant to happen.  She had purposefully sought him out.  Del couldn't read minds but strong enough intentions became clear as the Force held all of it together.  This was Iden's true self, he thought.

"Long enough to know them," she answered.  "Not long enough to be trusted."

\--

It was late when the chime went off in his quarters and Gideon squinted at the glowing time display in the dark.  Maybe not that late.  But late enough that he considered not answering it.  Getting up wasn’t going to be pleasant. 

He tried to ignore it, but if it was the Admiral (doubtful) or his aide (who could go to hell) or some other emergency...  Hask rolled onto his back and touched the bacta patch working on his ribs.  He couldn’t force himself to ignore it.  As he heard the chime again, he pushed himself up and braced an arm against his side as he walked to open the door.

It was Pahl staring back at him instead. “You’re a kriffing special operative and it still takes you three rings to open the door?”

The look he gave her would have peeled paint off walls but Pahl obviously knew him better, or thought she did. She raised her eyebrows in response, waiting to be let in. 

"You do look like hell."

"Thanks, Pahl."  He stepped away from the door, letting her in and hitting the lights to brighten the room.  The initial influx of light made his head throb and, by reflex, his ribs.  Obviously one pain couldn't be outdone by the other. 

It also reminded him in a quick flash of memory--the cave with the partisans and having the bag ripped off of his head.  The dead stormtrooper in front of them.  The one soldier who wasn't involved in their plot.

"Hey," Pahl said, catching his attention.  She held up a metallic bottle.  "Medicinal.  I heard you might need it."

That he did.  It was going to be a long few days to get everything ready and he needed to heal by the time they hit the ring.  Their timeline did give him enough days for now for the bacta to knit the fractured ribs back together. 

Hask allowed his rigid expression to soften and his shoulders to slump with exhaustion.  "You heard right."

\--

His quarters were small but Hask had never needed much.  It was a waste to spend the energy on a fancy stayroom or even a hotel lodging when all he would use it for would be to sleep.  There had been times that Versio had insisted though; Hask never complained.  It just meant more space to scan for monitoring devices.

He hadn't bothered scanning when he got back, only fell over in bed until Pahl unexpectedly turned up.  There was the possibility that what ever they said now could be heard if someone was trying to monitor him, though Hask was less concerned about that than he was Pahl herself.  She would sooner report him or arrest him herself if she heard something she didn't like over the time it would take a slip of the tongue to be reported over comms.

He did unearth a pair of glasses, shoved in the back of a cabinet above the sink and brought them out to her as he sat down on his bunk.  "You wasted no time in getting here."

"I was on duty when I heard you were back."  She poured some of the amber liquid into both glasses and handed one to him.  "As soon as I got off, I stopped by my quarters and then headed straight here.  I am sorry about waking you up.  You looked about ready to kill anything that moved."

Hask allowed a smile as he brought the glass to his lips and took a sip first, letting it burn his throat awake.  "You're not sorry at all," he said.  "And what the hell is this, Pahl?"

She took a swallow and grinned at him instead.  "It's from Corellia.  I picked it up on shore-leave a few months ago."

"It's horrible."

"That's why I like it."

He took another taste and shook his head lightly.  "You would," he said.  "Admiral Versio conjured up some Alderaan wine a few weeks ago."

After it had first happened.  The Death Star.  The destruction of Alderaan.  It had be the sweetest yet bitter tasting drink that Hask had ever taken and he had to force himself to enjoy it, not to think about all of the people the Rebellion had lost.  Or the Empire, for that matter.

Pahl's smile faltered at the mention of it.  She swirled the liquid in her glass and sat down on the only chair in the quarters.  "That had to be worth a fortune in credits."

"The Admiral likes the finer things," Hask said.  "It comes with authority."

"That he does.  I told you he signed my transfer papers, but it's a lot more than that."  She leaned back in the chair, but she lost none of her attentiveness even as she relaxed.  "I'm reporting to him directly for this assignment."

He looked back at her--she was practically bursting at the seams to tell him about it.  It did pique his interest; Versio hadn't informed him about anything unusual other than the planned maintenance to the Eviscerator.  Typically, he was the one to tell Pahl news, not the other way around.  She knew something first.

Hask leaned back against the wall, trying to take some of the pressure off of his ribs and he kicked one leg up onto the bed.  Both of them relaxed in each other's presence.  After all of the unusual activity of the Partisans and all that they meant to him, the Rebellion and the Empire, it was calming to have something as familiar as sharing a drink with Ferah Pahl.

"And how classified is this new assignment?" he asked, quirking a brow at her.

"Oh, very."  Pahl sipped her drink again.  "I can't _tell_ you..."

"But, you could show me?"

Her nod was careful--cautious.  This wasn't just sharing information about low level postings or Gideon's first star destroyer assignment.  They had both outgrown that.  They obviously hadn't outgrown the shaky alliance that seemed to be built on something akin to trust.  Imperials didn't trust each other--that would be breaking the first Academy lesson they ever learned.

Both of them liked to break rules when the situation arose.  That was how they got to be where they were.

"Later.  When you don't look like you're going to fall over on your feet," she said.  "Have you talked to the Admiral yet?"

Hask shook his head no.  Not yet.  Not until morning, he thought.  Versio was letting him stew on it.  He finished the last of his drink and let his head rest against the wall.

Letting the silence linger a little longer, Pahl pretended to be interested in the side of a cargo box next to her until she thought enough time had passed and she looked at him out of the side of her gaze.  "What happened, Gid?"

He actually snorted softly, though it stirred up the pain that had settled down during the time he had relaxed.  "Damn Partisans," he said.

That would catch her attention though.  Ferah grew up on the streets of Kuat; she knew what the Partisans meant to the planet.  All of the pain and turmoil that they had caused.  They shaped and scarred Kuat's past and present.

Narrowing her eyes some, she sat up in the chair, not slouching anymore.  "You know where they are?"

"Were.  They're dead."

She licked her lips cautiously.  The Partisans were gone.  Quietly, without the fuss that they deserved.  Kuat would never know until markets only had haggling and sales, not explosions, and children could roam the streets without staying in escorted groups.

"You killed them?" she asked in a hard tone.  "You weren't going to save any for the rest of us?"

"I was there to get the job done."  Hask looked across at her.  "Whatever it took."

"They still left you with a kriffing beating."

Yes, they had.  Del had done a good job making it look authentic.  It had passed the scrutiny of medbay and now battle-expert Pahl.  He rested his hand holding the empty glass against his leg.  "They were entrenched in caves; we had to go in blind."

Then he looked back at her, focusing on her face.  Her eyes were on him too as she listened to everything he had to say.  Like her assignment, he wasn't sure that he should tell her.  It would be a risk.

"Iden Versio was with them," he said.  A risk worth taking.

Pahl worked her jaw.  "Is she dead?"

"Maybe," he admitted.  "Truthfully, I don't know if any of them are dead.  I rigged the caves and got the hell out."

"Kriff, Gid.."  She finished her drink in one swallow and reached for the bottle again, but then stilled her hand.  "The Admiral doesn't know about it, does he?"

With Versio keeping him at arm's distance, it was hard to tell.  How much had the Admiral known when sending him in on this mission.  He was certain that Versio knew _something_ , he just didn't know what.  Like Pahl's assignment.  This assignment was gaining too many variables for him to keep track of and that was dangerous.

He chewed the inside of his lip.  "I don't know.  I haven't met with him yet."

"But you put it in your report?" she asked.

He lifted his head up.  "How am I supposed to tell the Admiral that I probably killed his daughter in a cave where she was waging attacks against the Empire, but I'm not really sure if she's dead?" he snapped.  More forcefully than he intended, but it got his point across to her.

Pahl narrowed her eyes in return, standing up to his heated tone.  "Stop taking it so damn personal then," she said automatically.

"You first," he challenged.

Neither of them could, they both knew it.  So much for dealing with Kuat in a reasonable way.  There was far too much history even before Versio's daughter was added to the mix.

"Gid."  Pahl leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.  "You need to tell him.  It's his daughter."

"He severed that connection a long time ago," Hask said.  "All that matters is that they're dead."

She couldn't disagree with that.  Pahl unscrewed the top of the bottle again.  "All Rebels and troublemakers have to be exterminated.  Just like Scarif, just like Alderaan, just like now, for Kuat."

"Then one last drink for Kuat," he said.

\--

There was no one deciding factor. But Del had identified the tipping point. Iden had been at Belraize. It was one of her first postings as a very young officer, fresh from the academy and wholly unprepared to face the nightmarish reality of war.

But she was the daughter of the liberator of Vardos, Garrick Versio. She must have power and authority in her blood, so naturally she had been sent to one of the more explosive hotbeds of unrest. It certainly wasn’t that Iden didn’t have those qualities. Her skills in leadership and combat were never under question.

The munitions facility on Belraize had been raided countless times in the past. Prior to Iden’s posting there, the insurgence had slaughtered every Imperial in the main warehouse that they had found and were only deterred when a star destroyer picked up the distress call. With the extra security, Iden thought that had to be the last of it. The facility was reinforced; additional garrisons were put in place.

Lieutenant Iden Versio led patrols through the Imperial-controlled city nearby, checking for threats. She encountered children who at first weren’t afraid of soldiers in helmets and white armor, but, as the days went on, would run and hide as soon as they saw the patrols coming.  She received orders to arrest shopkeepers, teachers and parents.  She watched the orphan population in the city grow by leaps and bounds.

"It was all done in the name of protecting our base and ourselves," she said.  "No one questioned it."

Del knew the story.  News of Belraize circulated the galaxy quickly and made its rounds to the Rebellion, who made sure it was spread widely in support of overthrowing the Empire.  But he wanted to hear it in her voice.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

She looked down at her hands.  He wondered how much blood she felt on them even now or if she had managed to feel cleansed.  "I was in the city with my patrol but it was another officer who called out.  They ran into some trouble during an arrest.  I think a few citizens ganged up."  Iden looked up at Del.  "I know there weren't many people involved.  It was only a spark."

Sometimes all it took was a spark to ignite everything.  The officer radioed in the attack and the base commander fortified.  The large gates of the facility were shut, locking out any patrols on their own who didn't come back in time.

Then he ordered an orbital strike on the city.

Del rubbed the back of his neck.  "You made it out."

"Had to.  We had sirens going off on all of our comms and we barely made it out," she said.  "They called it a sacrifice for the greater good.  They said the planet had been cleansed."

She laughed bitterly, looking over at the open doorway of the shuttle.  "I almost stopped to pick up a child and carry her out--..  I should have."

"After that--he had the audacity to say that they brought it upon themselves," Iden said.  "My mother passed away apart from my father because she couldn't handle his devotion to the Empire and his own power.  I barely got to see her.  That was his fault too.  All of it was.  He would have made the same call, I know it."

Del wanted to reach for her hand, encourage her that there was still good in the galaxy.  There had to be good, or else they were fighting for nothing.  The light wasn't gone, it was just hidden.  Only, people like them--this was all they had known.

"The Partisans, we all have stories like that," she said.  "Everyone has lost someone or something, or maybe everything.  After Scarif and then Alderaan, I knew I had made the right choice."

Just the word Scarif caused a chill to pass over him, and the memory of Alderaan felt like a sharp chorus of screaming voices.  Del shivered.  Normally just the mention of the planets didn't cause him to access the memory with feeling, but the atmosphere already felt dark.  The Force was darkening around them.

It could be the Partisans--the darkness he had felt with Julen earlier.  Danic's shrouded sensation.  Or Iden's memories that had darkened her outlook.  Or maybe it was something that was not yet revealed.

All would come to know in time and the time of the Force was not the time anyone could predict.

Iden knit her brow together as she watched him though.  "Are you a Jedi?" she asked suddenly.

It took him by such surprise that both of his eyebrows shot up his face and then he actually laughed.  Really, he knew it shouldn't have--Iden had been watching so intently earlier when he prayed.  It was her straight-forwardedness.  He rather liked that in a world where very little was straight forward.

"Actually, no, I'm not a Jedi.  To my knowledge, there aren't any left,” he admitted.  "Perhaps a few survived, but I've never met them."

"You know the Force though," she said carefully.  It was as if just saying the words would cause Imperial enforcers to appear out of thin air and swallow them up.  Or that she was afraid of it.  Perhaps both, he thought.

Del nodded.  "I do know the Force.  I can feel it around us."

"Yet you're not a Jedi?" she asked, accompanied by a skeptical look.

Del just smiled.  "No.  I can't manipulate the Force, but I can feel it.  Even here in the caves, or on the ship.  The Force is everywhere, it is--.."  He breathed in and out.  "Balance."

She pressed her lips together, considering.  Del expected it; hearing about the Force was contrary to everything she would have known.  There was a lot Iden had learned since Belraize, clearly.  There was a lot still to learn.

"I've never known the Force," she said.  "You were so at peace when the tunnels were exploding.  I mean, we all saw Julen--and Tanus.  Nothing, no fear.  Not even when we were threatening to kill you."

"All is as the Force wills it," Del replied simply.  "I believe that.  Then there's nothing to fear because the Force guides all things to balance."

"That's what I mean."  Iden looked down at her hands, smiling slightly.  "Del, I wasn't entirely honest with you.  Danic did send me but I also came for a reason.  I wanted to talk to you about that, about the Force.  Also, about my father."

An interesting turn of events.  The one who had been so defensive when they first got there was the one who was actively seeking him out.  Del rather liked this side of Iden.  He wondered how much of her the others truly saw either. 

"I am happy to show you what I know of the Force, but your father--Gideon would be better with that," he said.

She gave him another ironic smile.  "I already burned that bridge.  I told him off."  Lifting a hand, she motioned to the ship.  "All of this is new.  Knowing that he's down there on Kuat--my father is actually _there_ \--it took me by surprise.  But, so did you."

Del didn't know what Iden and Gideon talked about when they were alone--Gideon must have mentioned the Admiral's presence.  It wasn't that highly advertised.  It didn't seem like Gideon to say so either but it was her father they were talking about and Iden did seem like the hardest to win over.

"As far as I know, he's well.  The next time we communicate, I'll ask Gideon," Del said.

Slowly, she reached across and squeezed his hand.  It was an awkward motion, something she was familiar with, to touch someone else in a way to show gratitude.  However, she was making the effort to connect and she felt compelled to do it.  Del felt that warmth.  He smiled back at her and he felt as if they could spend all night here talking.

"Thank you, Del," she said.

"It's my pleasure, Iden," he replied.

\--

It was the second time tonight that Ferah Pahl had woken up someone in their quarters to speak with them, but waking up an Admiral very different than one of her friends.  Comrades.  The young lieutenant tasked with summoning Versio outside of his quarters was nervous about the whole affair--no doubt he been on the receiving end of the wrath of that sort of thing before.

Once he went inside, all Pahl could hear was their muffled voices as she waited outside in the front sitting room of Verio's quarters.  Such a stark contrast to the spareness of Gideon's room.  There was still power overlooking the city.  She clasped her hands behind her back, watching out of the window as she heard the lieutenant insist that it was important and apologize again for the late hour.

Finally, she heard their footsteps coming closer and she turned to face them, bringing herself to stiff attention.  The Admiral was still in his sleep clothes with a severe gaze in her direction.  He waved off her attentive stance. 

"Make this quick.  This better be good, Captain," he warned.

Pahl swallowed carefully, bringing her hands behind her back where he couldn't see her fidgeting.  It wouldn't do for the admiral to notice her nerves on reporting something he needed to know.

"It is, sir, I assure you," she explained.  "It's about the Partisan cell on Renmaar."

Versio's eyes narrowed further.  "Yes..  How did you come to know about this?"

"Sir.  My assignment is the protection of the shipyard. This would include knowledge of the Partisans," she said.  Versio would find out eventually, but maybe Hask wouldn't bare the full brunt of it that way.

"I have reason to believe that your daughter was present among them."

Out of all of the time she had served under the Admiral, she had never seen his expression turn blank.  Guarded, perhaps, and stoic.  But all emotion fell from his face at once as if it would make a puddle on the floor beneath him.  He reached a hand out for the back of the couch.

In an instant, the weakness was gone.  "There was no mention of this in Commander Hask's report," Versio said.

Pahl lifted her chin up.  "I believe the Commander may have left that out intentionally."

There was a slight twitch under Versio's right eye.  He was struggling to maintain his control.  Another first for her.

He walked closer to her.  "Captain Pahl.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention.  You serve the Empire well.  And me."

She bowed her head slightly.  "That is my only wish, Admiral."

\--

_"I heard about the Admiral's daughter."_

_Hask had barely sat down at the table in the back of the pulsing neon club before the words came out of Pahl's mouth.  He huffed a sigh, but it didn't pack much of a punch as he still looked amused at the comment at the same time._

_"We haven't seen each other for months and this is what you want to talk about?" he asked._

_Pahl shrugged her shoulders, raising the corner of her mouth in a smirk. She very much knew what she was doing. There were times that Hask found that look disturbing. “It’s big news,” she said. “I walked by at least three news displays on my way here that had it up with the headlines.”_

_He shook his head lightly. “You and the rest of the core worlds.”  It was just chance that they happened to be on Coruscant at the same time.  By tomorrow, everything would change.  Though with the news about Iden Versio, everything already had changed._

_“How often does the daughter of an admiral have a blow up like that and_ defect _.” The last word made her lower her voice. Even with the pounding music and low lights of the club, their voices might carry. Someone might hear her and get the wrong idea._

_Especially when she was with Gideon Hask of all people. “You must have some insight of it,” she said. “You’re close to the Admiral. How is he taking it.”_

_Hask toyed with his glass on the table, leaning across his elbow to make his shoulders smaller. Blending in with the darkness. “As well as anyone would think. She’s his daughter,” he said. “He doesn’t show it, but he’s upset. I really don’t know much about it. It’s not my business with him.”_

_Pahl lifted her chin. “She made it everyone’s business. If she had just family spat, she didn’t have to.. do what she did.” It was that word again. Pahl didn’t want to say it out loud a second time._

_“Did you see anything?” she asked, pushing harder._

_“I wasn’t there when it happened.” He lifted his head more too. Maybe he did know more than he admitted. Something like this sent ripples through the whole Empire. It also displayed the loyalists and the questioners more vividly._

_Anyone who agreed with her faced their own questions. An act like that should be hated. Pahl certainly hated it. Though, she did wonder about Hask treating it with such distance. It should anger him too._

_He shrugged his shoulders. “Lieutenant Cadren was there—he’s the new one working in the admiral’s office. Said he could hear them pretty clearly,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to know details. She’s all the family the Admiral has anymore. His ex-wife passed away.”_

_Pahl took a swallow of her drink, listening to his words, then she shook her head too.  "I would have expected a lot more out of an Admiral's daughter."_

_"You know, to some degree.."  Hask trailed off, looking out over the club, watching people moving around in the shadows and the light.  "The Admiral is a hard man to please.  Iden must have had an absurd amount of pressure.  I don't blame her for blowing up."_

_It made her adrenaline kick in just for a beat.  She looked back at him.  "Gid, really?  She betrayed him.  She let him down.  Let us all down."_

_He knit his brow, shooting a darker look at her.  "I said I don't blame her, not that I agree with her, Ferah.  It's hard to put up with everyone questioning your every move and never living up to what they expect of you."_

_She folded her arms, leaning back in her chair.  "Then you work harder.  You did.  I did.  You overcome.  With who she is, she should be able to do that."_

_Both of them knew what it was like to rise up out of nothing.  It could be done.  Someone like Iden Versio who must have had everything handed to her would never understand what that was like.  Pahl knew it all too well and this woman--this girl--spit in the face of everything she worked for with her entitlement._

_"The Rebellion deserves her," Pahl said bitterly._

_Hask finished off his drink.  "You don't know what happened.  I don't know what happened.  We only know what the headlines say," he pointed out.  "She screamed at an admiral in public, she escaped arrest for treasonous words, she fled the system.  That's it.  Don't go reading more into it than there really is."_

_"Oh there's plenty to it already," she replied.  "Anyone who turns against the Empire will be dealt with.  There's no redemption for treason."_

_His face darkened immediately and he pressed his lips together, staring back at her as if he was willing a hole in her head.  Pahl didn't regret it but she felt herself back down as she realized the impact of her words.  Of course he would be sensitive to that._

_"Gid.." she said._

_"No, don't."  He took a deep breath.  They both needed to let it go.  "All I'm saying is we don't know the situation.  There could be a lot more going on."_

_Pahl paused to finish off her drink too.  "Seems pretty simple from where I'm sitting," she replied evenly.  "Shame to have a black mark like that following the Admiral around though."_

_Hask stood up.  The discussion was over.  Pahl didn't apologize.  It wasn't a comment meant for him._

_"Pahl.  I should go.  You enjoy yourself.  This isn't my scene anymore."  He didn't give her a chance to respond before walking off into the crowd of the Coruscant nightclub and disappearing into the night._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for the long wait! I hope that it's not this much of a wait for the next chapter, but I haven't finished my reserve chapter just yet so it may still be a small-ish wait for the next one. I hope that this chapter does make up for it though. A lot going on. A lot still more to come.
> 
> Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

"Del-.. really?  Is this really a good time for this?"  Iden sat down across from him in the quiet corner of the cave system, but she still looked skeptical at his timing.

The shuttle was warmed up and humming quietly nearby as Tanus walked back and forth, checking their supplies for the third time before they headed to Kuat.  The first mission that they all had together.  Del should be nervous, but he was not.  Not like he could feel from the others.

He sat cross-legged in the dirt in front of her, waiting until she got settled before he reached into his bag and produced a worn book.  "This is the best time," he replied.  "Finding one's calm before a mission."

Iden glanced over toward the main cargo space of the cave where Danic was arguing with an irritated-looking Julen.  "I don't know about your definition of 'best time'.  There's nothing calm about this."

"The energy is high, yes."  Looking across at her, Del watched her posture--the way that she held her knees with her arms, closing herself up.  She was guarded and for the moment, he observed, her mind was closed.

Del remained neutral, sitting up straight and holding the worn book with both hands.  "But, that's why this is the best time.  It provides focus; like working under pressure," he said, smiling.  "Soldiers know that feeling."

She snorted softly, quirking her mouth in amusement.  "We know a little about working under pressure.  You know, for not actually being a soldier, you seem to know a lot about them.”

Del smiled slowly.  “Who says I’m not a soldier?”

“A Rebel soldier, yes, but a professionally trained, straight from the Academy,” Iden replied.  “That’s my territory.  You’re good, but I know a soldier when I see one.”  Looking down at the book, she paused for a beat before continuing.  “Not a soldier.  Not a Jedi.  Then what are you, Del Meeko?”

He placed the book on the floor.  _Collected Prayers, Poems, and Meditations on the Force_.  “Had the Jedi survived along with the Republic, I would have been a Guardian of the Whills in the holy temple of the Kyber on Jedha.”

He watched as her eyes drifted to the book.  Even the mention of Jedha changed the atmosphere between them.  Jedha, Scarif, Alderaan--they were open wounds for the Rebellion.  Nowhere, even in the stories of the destruction caused in the Clone Wars, had the war been total and complete as that inflicted by the Death Star.

"Did you ever make it to Jedha?" she asked, carefully looking back at his eyes.

"Yes."  He offered a smile but he knew it was tinged with sadness despite his best efforts.  "Afterwards."

"That didn't shake your faith?" Iden asked.

For a moment, he thought about standing outside of the crater and smoothed over dirt, looking toward the center where the oldest temple of the Force once stood.  Ultimately though, Del shook his head slowly.  "No."

Reaching forward, he flipped the book open, settling on a well-worn page that no doubt he didn't need to read anymore but having the words there was still a comfort.  In fact, there were few words on the page and it was mostly blank space.  Del touched the page lightly with his hand before he looked back at her, reciting the phrase.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me, and I fear nothing; all is as the Force wills it."

Iden shifted, scuffing the dirt with her foot as she eased her arms away, letting her legs come down crossed on the ground.  Curiosity was opening her up.  This would be something she had never heard before, not growing up in the Empire.  "How can the Force will anything?  It's just energy."

"The Force is all around us and within us," Del said.  "It is generated and created by us and when we leave, we dispel it into the universe.  The Force wills all because the Force _is_ all."

He watched as she absorbed and waited for a moment before he continued.  "The Jedi could manipulate the Force; not everyone has that kind of connection but all of us can feel it because the Force energy is inside all of us.  We create it and direct it."

Del placed his hands on his knees and breathed in the damp air of the caves.  "Can you feel it now?  We're about to leave.  All of the nerves, anxiety and energy of what we're about to face--it's thick in the air, isn't it?"

"That is why this is the perfect moment," he explained.  "It gives a tangible example of how we can change when we let the Force flow through us."

"You can't change this, Del," she said.  "Even if you could, why would you want to?  Our lives are going to be on the line, we need to be in top form.  That nervousness, that _fear_ is what gives us focus."

A soldier's point of view.  She sounded just like Gideon.  Del had yet to fully break through to his partner yet, but Iden was listening to him--her body language was open and that meant that her mind was open to him as well.  "That is one way of looking at it, yes, but it's not the only way."

Holding up his hand, he reached across toward her, holding his palm forward between them.  "Place your hand against mine and push lightly."

"Really.."  But, she did it, even with the skeptical look.  Her questioning didn't take her entirely out of the moment, especially as her hand pressed against Del's. 

He applied gentle pressure back, allowing their arms to bend at the elbow, holding the angle of tension between them.  Her hand felt warm, just as his did, and calloused but strong.  Del could feel the underlying strength in just that touch; looking at her eyes, he felt he knew her even more.

"Balance," he said.  Lightly, he pushed against her hand, drawing them both off center.  "Not too much to one side.."  Then, he gave her more slack, letting her push his hand off center instead.  "Or to the other.."  Finally, he rejoined her in the center. 

"Instead, perfectly balanced.  This is the strength of the Force.  When we are in balance, the Force flows freely through us and around us.  All things respond to its will as we are all connected," he explained.  "Do you feel it now?"

She looked back at him, never taking her eyes off of his and not removing her hand.  They were perfectly in sync with each other and even the sound of the rest of the cave faded away until both of their attention was solely on each other.  "Yes," she said.  "I do feel it."

Del closed his eyes.  He thought of his teachers at the Temple, the old Jedi masters who meditated and reflected in the garden, and all of their wisdom dispelled into the universe.  "And so, with the Force inside of me and the Force inside of you, we are in balance," he said, his voice solid and sure.  "I fear nothing.  All is as the Force wills it."

There sensation of Iden's hand was quiet, not the fluttery nervousness that it had been when they first touched.  Even though he wasn't touching near any pulse point, he thought he could feel her heartbeat, steady and strong.  Del breathed in and out slowly, feeling the thickness of anxiety dissipating around them, even from Iden as she relaxed.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly.

Coming gently out of his meditation, he met her eyes again.  Del liked curious Iden.  How many other people got to see her this way?  How many times had she been discouraged from seeking out her own knowledge in favor of being told this was how the universe was?

"The Force brought me here for a reason."  Del had sounded so sure of himself once he was talking about the Force, but his voice faltered.  He wasn't as sure about this part of it, nor how she would take it.  "I-.. I sensed that your balance was off.  Something inside of you or around you is causing conflict."

She didn't look away from him.  She didn't close off from him again.

"I don't know what it is, but the Force sent me to you to help," Del said.

Her fingers curled slightly against his hand and she dropped her eyes, breathing out a sigh.  "Del, you don't-.."

Danic cleared his throat, suddenly casting a shadow above them as he stepped into the light of the cave lamp.  "We're leaving," he said coarsely.

They hadn't even heard him approach and his presence shattered the peace, bringing in the present reality as a sudden flood and making Iden pull her hand away from Del as if he burned her.  Del didn't move straight away, looking up at the leader even as Iden scrambled to get to her feet.  "We're ready; we'll be right there."

The man narrowed his eyes briefly, but he focused his gaze on Iden before he turned to walk toward the shuttle, taking his shadow with him. 

"Danic, wait."  Iden charged after him, leaving Del behind.

\--

"This is _unacceptable_!"  Versio slammed his datapad down so hard on the desk that Hask felt Lieutenant Cadren flinch in the next room.

Hask braced himself against the coming storm of the admiral's wrath, but he also planted his feet strongly on the floor in order to stand his ground as well.  "I completed my mission," he reported.

He had come a long way from the cadet standing in Versio's office on Vardos, uncertain of why he had been summoned nor the admiral's intentions.  That cadet never would have even attempted to argue back even if it was a valid point, for fear of being cast aside for a more desirable soldier.  One who followed orders and didn't fight back.

Versio wasn't necessarily looking for a blind, conditioned stormtrooper.  Except that he also was, and that made the verbal sparring match more difficult.

"You completed nothing," Versio spat.  "All you accomplished was losing your ship and your men.  You went in there with three soldiers and all three of them are dead, Hask.  But the targets?"

"There's no way that they could have survived," Hask said.

As he approached, Hask didn't move, even as Versio reached out with the datapad, nearly poking it into his chest.  "I didn't need to hear your report to know that you failed.  I knew before you even left Renmaar, retreating on the back of a local troop transport with your kriffing tail between your legs."

Hask worked his jaw.  In the lull between heated words, when Versio thought of his next attack and Hask considered his defense, the rain beat hard against the window, streaking down and obscuring the view of the city.  No, it wasn't Vardos, it wasn't Versio's home, it was Hask's instead and that gave him some advantage.  It had to, didn't it?

When Hask didn't reply, Versio narrowed his eyes.  "You were sloppy and unorganized.  I don't send you to come up with half-conceived plans and get your own people killed, I send you to get the job done!"  He paused, breathing in as if he had forgotten in the tirade of words.  "What happened?"

Iden Versio happened.  Hask considered that he didn't need the Partisans at all.  He could have killed them there, could have given them up.  Let all of his past burn--the Partisans, the shipyard.  He had gone in with that as a fleeting notion in the back of his head because he had gone in without a watertight plan, no matter what he told Del.  He had been willing to make a change at a moment's notice.

Now he didn't dare to tell the admiral that his daughter was there.  That he talked to them and found his daughter in the middle, caught up in their ideals, and she muddled his internal conflict even more.

"They were Partisans," he growled, as if that was an enough of an explanation itself.

It was though.  Versio took a step back, maintaining a careful exterior of control while the heat of anger had turned his cheeks red anyway.  "I _know_ that."

Hask's hands were clasped in tight fists with his fingers digging into his palms behind his back, otherwise he stood solid as the glass window against the rain.  How much did the admiral know though?  His heart started beating faster at the notion that Versio knew exactly where he had sent Hask in the first place.  He knew about the Partisans, about Renmaar, about his daughter?

Sweat started to drip down the back of Hask's neck but until Versio said her name, he would play on omission.  He hadn't mentioned her, but the success of the entire mission now might lie on Iden.

Versio brought the datapad behind him, rising up to his full height and pushing his chest out.  He drew in his calmness, fully becoming the admiral.  "I thought that you had moved beyond this childish notion of the Partisans and your revenge."

Hask forced himself to swallow as his throat started to unconstrict.  Maybe it wasn't about Iden.  Then, it had to be about something else.  He thought about to how much Versio actually trusted him and considered how much he trusted, or how much he could read the admiral.  Perhaps it was not as much as he originally thought.

"I thought you could handle yourself without letting your feelings of revenge get in the way.  That was what it was, wasn't it?" Versio continued.  "You obviously seem to not be capable of moving past something that happened _years_ ago."

The relief that Iden was not at the center of it, that he hadn't blown his mission by omitting Versio's daughter, was short-lived as Versio's words hit him instead as strong as the rainstorm outside.  Hard enough to leave pinpricks in Hask's tough skin.

Versio's voice turned cold.  "This is not how you were trained.  This is /not/ how I taught you, Hask.  I am disappointed in your performance."  He tightened his mouth, no longer yelling but he might as well be for all of the weight that his words carried.  "I expected that your loyalty to the Empire--to me--would come first.  As such, you have let down your entire planet by your failure to destroy its tormentors.  Is this something that is at all acceptable to you?"

A test.  It was a test, then.  The burning fire of rage started out as a small ember that quickly consumed all of the energy inside of him until it was a roaring inferno.  He had been under the hot light of Versio's disappointment before, but it always stung no matter how much he tried to build himself up.  Especially when he failed a test.  Especially when Versio chose to test his loyalty and resolve in the first place.

"No sir, it is not," he said.  He thought about the cadet standing across from the commander again, the one who would never push back.

"I thought not."  Versio breathed out through his nose and Hask half expected steam to come out as he exhaled his own emotion.  "You're grounded."

"Sir-.."

"No," Versio snapped.  "You are my top Inferno agent.  I will ensure that your head is in the proper place."

It was a hell of a test, and a horrible failure.  Hask felt as if he had been kicked in the chest.  As Versio waved a hand dismissively, walking around his desk, Hask prepared to take a step back and exit the office.  A chance to lick new bruises.  With the ones that Del inflicted on his face starting to fade, he could handle new ones that weren't visible.

But, Versio paused before he sat down and looked up at him.  "While you are here, go see Captain Pahl.  She is a _true_ example of loyalty, but she has her own motivations.  Between the ruthlessness of the two of you, I expect that you will make certain you both stay on track."

\--

_General Anton Merrick stood outside of the briefing room, looking in through the window at the ongoing interrogation.  Next to him was Davits Draven.  Also a general.  Also a bit of an arse as far as Merrick was concerned, but he still considered the man to be a friend.  Perhaps friend stretched a bit far though--a professional acquaintance._

_Enough of one that Merrick was the first one that Draven called when they brought the 'prisoner', as Draven said, in to be interrogated, even before word of the young man circulated through the base, obscured by rumors.  Merrick folded his arms, watching as the interrogating officer issued a question, pointing a finger down at the table in an accusing manner, and that the prisoner argued back just as hard._

_"He's got spirit," Merrick commented._

_Draven hummed, chewing on the inside of his cheek.  "He's got something.  The kid showed up outside of the troop base on Samire in a TIE-fighter.  He even had our comm frequency.  I let them have it for letting him into the hanger."_

_Merrick gave him a side-long glance, maintaining bored irritation in the last comment.  "If he comes in unarmed, we can't shoot him out of the sky."_

_"We can if he's a risk to security," Draven said.  "I want his sources.  Someone gave him access to our comms, and worse than that, the location of one of our bases."_

_"Because he wanted to defect," Merrick shot back.  "If you want him to prove himself, then fine.  But, we can't turn him away because he's wearing another uniform while saying he wants to defect.  It shows that we're making a difference here."_

_The prisoner slammed his hand on the table to emphasize his point and the interrogator sat back in his chair, folding his arms.  Then he asked another pointed question.  The young man huffed, turning his head away.  The window that Merrick and Draven were standing behind wasn't blocked from his view--he could see them and he was already sizing up the brass that was observing him.  The Imperial officer's uniform wasn't for show; he knew how the military machine worked._

_Draven rolled his eyes.  "Idealist.  Security is my responsibility.  If you want to let anyone run around the base, see how long that lasts until the Empire finds us on Yavin."_

_"Then you're a pessimist," Merrick replied._

_"I'm the head of intelligence," Draven said, lifting his chin.  "I'm a realist."_

_The corner of Merrick's mouth twitched into half of a smile, but he was still focused on the prisoner.  How old was that kid, anyway?  He couldn't even be twenty.  Merrick had recruits that young, but to see one so polished in a starched uniform was sometimes unsettling.  It told him that the young man had been living this life for a long time._

_Merrick tapped his finger against the side of his arm.  "I want to talk to him."_

_Draven didn't even bother to look at him.  "I knew you would."_

_Reaching out, Draven knocked on the window to get the interrogator's attention and a simple raise of his eyebrows brought the man to his feet as a signal that his time was done.  Someone else was coming in.  "He's all yours," Draven said._

_But, as Merrick moved to walk past him, Draven reached over to catch his forearm, his focus much more serious than their earlier banter.  "Don't get attached.  He's not a stray."_

_Merrick maintained as much seriousness in return.  It wasn't his first time interrogating a prisoner, and if things continued the way that they were going for the Rebellion, it wouldn't be his last either.  "No, he's a soldier who wants to fight."_

_He past the interrogating officer on his way into the room, noting the two armed guards standing behind the prisoner.  Both of them looked bored.  The young man wasn't causing any trouble, other than possibly not telling the interrogator what Draven wanted to hear._

_"I'm General Merrick."  Sitting down across from him, Merrick folded his hands calmly on the metal table, presenting himself less threatening than the interrogator.  "I understand you want to defect."_

_Almost immediately, the young man sat up straight, presenting himself to a superior officer.  He didn't salute though; they weren't on the same side yet.  "Lieutenant Hask," he reported.  "Yes, sir.  I'm prepared to share all of the information that I know.  I've brought a TIE-fighter, information regarding ship and vehicle schematics, base locations, as many weapons as I could grab-..."_

_Merrick held up a hand.  "I'm already impressed, Hask.  You've already got your foot in the door, you can stand down."_

_Draven was still standing at the window, listening in to the conversation via the speaker on the wall.  Let him listen.  Maybe the master of spies would learn how it was done rather than sending in someone to verbally beat up the young man._

_Hask even looked a bit roughed up underneath the polished exterior.  Exhausted, too.  As he sagged slightly in his chair, he looked a lot younger than the adult he was trying to be._

_"Why do you want to defect?" Merrick asked patiently._

_"Because the Emperor is a tyrant and the Empire does horrible things in his name.  They have to be stopped.  I want to fight," Hask reported._

_It sounded very rehearsed, as if he was thinking about what Rebels would want to hear from him but he didn't really know for certain.  Merrick imagined that was why the interrogator was so frustrated.  There was no way that it would have passed by Draven._

_But, it made Hask sound genuine at the same time.  It was a fabrication, but not a perfect one.  A spy, a sleeper agent, they would have been much more perfect--at least to Merrick's way of thinking._

_"Everyone does horrible things in war," Merrick said.  "Both sides.  Are you prepared to fight back just as horribly?"_

_"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to hurt the Empire," Hask said._

_That would win Draven's approval.  He liked to push his soldiers and spies to the edge of their moral standards and past it.  It didn't suit everyone though.  It was one way to fight a war, but it was a hard way to live._

_"Fair enough.  We all have a grudge against the Empire."  Merrick looked up at the two guards.  "Don't we?"_

_There was a soft, surprised mumble of agreement from the two of them.  Hask inclined his head slightly to listen to them, putting his attention behind him, but keeping most of it on Merrick._

_"But, you didn't answer my first question.  Why do you want to defect?" Merrick continued._

_Hask sighed and Merrick decided watched his walls going back up as a look of irritation crossed his eyes and then his face went neutral.  Guarded and without emotion.  No doubt training by the Empire._

_"Sir, with respect, I didn't come here to be patronized.  You asked a question and I answered it.  I brought you enough intel to make this exchange worth it," he said.  But as his frustration grew, so did his voice.  Maybe the Empire hadn't trained the anger out of him.  "I want to fight the Empire, whatever the cost!  That should be enough."_

_Merrick looked down at the table, considering him and his next move.  He wasn't a chess player--he didn't plan moves far ahead like Draven did.  Instead, Merrick listened to the moment and made his decision based on that.  Hask's anger was the key.  He had a story, just like the rest of them._

_"I'm not patronizing you," Merrick said.  "You made quite an effort to be here.  None of that happened overnight--you've been planning this for years?  I want to know why."_

_Hask worked his jaw, clenching the powerful muscles around it and tensing his face before he breathed out again and tried to calm himself down.  Merrick let the words sink in for a beat before he continued.  "What's your first name?"_

_"Gideon," he said, his eyes drifting down to the table where they stayed._

_"Where are you from, son?" Merrick asked._

_"Kuat."  Hask swallowed and chewed on the inside of his lip.  Either he was a good actor, or his inexperience was showing and his walls were starting to drop._

_"The shipyards, right?  Home to the destroyers," Merrick said.  He noticed that Hask almost smiled at that, but there was a hostility to it as well.  Maybe part of his wounds.  "I'm from Virujansi.  We had our own rule, our own government, yet the Empire swooped in and decided we were not 'prosperous' enough and they forced their government onto us instead.  Everything I knew about my planet changed.  So, I came here so that others don't have to go through that."_

_The young man was listening to him.  He thought he could see the fire quieting.  At least, he was sitting and listening with less a hostile look in his eyes.  Merrick hoped it was more understanding._

_"So, Gideon.  Why are you here?" Merrick asked._

_It took him almost a full, uncomfortable minute before Hask shifted in his chair and answered him.  "The Empire killed my parents," he said.  "They called them traitors, said that they conspired against the Empire, but they were protecting civilians--children.  They were trying to save our people, like the Empire should."_

_There was a lot left unsaid that Merrick thought he could read beneath the surface, though he wasn't the spy that Draven was--how long had Hask been living in that environment, knowing that the Empire was a facade for the power hungry?  Had he lived with the mantle of traitor too?  It had to be heavy on the shoulders of a teenager._

_"I can't go back to them," Hask said, looking up.  "I can't do it anymore.  I want to hurt them and make them bleed."_

_Merrick could almost hear Draven already saying 'you can't save them all'.  But he'd be damned if he wouldn't try._

_"It won't go the way you think it will," Merrick admitted.  "It won't make you feel better and you know it won't bring them back."  He stood up and held his hand out to him.  "But if you want a place among the Rebellion, we will have you, Gideon."_

_He shot to his feet, looking Merrick square in the eye as he shook his hand.  That was all the opportunity the kid needed.  "I won't let you down, General."_

\--

Dio dodged one large raindrop as it whirled through the marketplace, but another one hit it square on its disc, causing it to lurch to the side and shake its head disc until the water cleared off.  The piece of fruit that Del had sent it to get was safe though.  Though the rain had stopped, the city was still drying out and the marketplace awnings were soggy.

It wasn't the most colorful market that Del had ever seen; Kuat in general seemed to have muted colors in its city.  Buildings were military drab and industrial.  Even some desert cities had more life, but there the people likely didn't life in a constant state of unease.

As he saw Dio approach, Del noticed the way that some of the shopkeepers and some of the marketgoers eyed the little droid, unsure of what it was up to, at least until it hovered up to Del with the red and orange fruit outstretched in one of its claws.  Del smiled at the droid and took the fruit from it.

"Thank you, Dio."  He brushed some remaining water off of Dio's disc and then reached under his robe for a small knife, cutting off a piece of the fruit.  "Iden, do you want a piece?"

Sitting at the edge of the market gave them a lovely view of the street, including where Namren was bartering with some salvaged pieces of tech for additional supplies.  Other movement further down the way included the two Zabraks browsing the food stalls together.  Somewhere up above them, Tanus was making his way through a building via a stolen maintenance ID to get rooftop access.

It was also quiet aside from the soft buzz of conversation around them, but even that in Military city was guarded.  It didn't feel much like the quaint corner cafe spot that it tried to be. 

Iden looked up at the offered piece of fruit, giving him a smile as she took it from him.  "Do you even know what it is?"

"No idea.  But people are eating it."  Del cut off a slice for himself as well, taking a bite.  It had a sweet but mild taste to it, seeming to fit some of Kuat's atmosphere.  He wondered if Gideon would know what it was called.

Letting his attention drift out to the market, he also noted that Iden had been quiet since they landed.  Professional, perhaps, not cold, but not talkative either.  Del preferred to at least look they were blending in. 

"Julen didn't seem thrilled when we were paired together," he commented.

That made her smile though as she looked across the street.  "You'll have to get used to that.  It will take a long time to get Julen's approval."

"Yes, I can see that."  Del smiled too briefly, and glanced at her before he looked back at the market, watching the movement.  "I wanted to apologize about before--I didn't mean to imply anything, if there's anything going on between you and Danic--.."

Iden shook her head quickly.  "There's nothing between us.  Don't worry about it, Del."

"He didn't seem very happy."

"People seem like that a lot," she said.  But, she breathed out and looked back at him, almost in apology.  "Danic and I trust each other."

He couldn't imagine that it was easy for her to admit it.  She seemed to be able to do that with him, as if it was a power that Del held that allowed her to open up to him because she certainly didn't seem to with the rest of the Partisans.

"That must be a rare thing."  He smiled warmly, trying to put her more at ease again, bringing back the atmosphere of their meditation in the cave.  "I trust you."

"You shouldn't."  She finished off the last of the cuts of fruit and got to her feet.  "You barely know me."

"I think I know you well enough," he replied.

\--

Tanus' presence on the roof set them all in motion, with his voice in their ears moving them around like gamepieces.  Del could feel the young man watching them as they strolled between the market shops, simultaneously being comforting and a touch unnerving at the same time, with trust being so shaky.

<<Iden and Del, there's a garrison at the end of the road.  Check it out from the front,>> Tanus said, sending them moving again.

Danic was looking in the window of a shop filled with pastries and cakes as they wandered by, his voice carrying both into the air lightly as they passed him and in their earcomms.  <<If there's an active garrison here, it's going to make getting into the transit building more difficult, even with a distraction.  I want to see how fast their response time will be.>>

Del walked with a staff, taking slow and measured steps with Iden at his side--no one questioned the staff as a weapon if he needed it to walk.  "Then we get to see about their response time the next run that we're here," Del said, pressing the button to activate his comm.

As soon as he let go of it, he glanced down toward Iden.  She was holding onto his free arm, close enough that he could feel her, but more important he could feel the tension in her grasp.  Tension and excitement, though.  Where the situation could explode at any moment, she must be in her element.

So was he though.

"How long has Danic been leading?" he asked.

Iden looked up at him and then took interest in watching the people who walked by them.  Most of them gave them no notice, but they were watching--they were just not obvious about it.  Military City residents knew better than to not be cautious about unfamiliar faces, Del thought.

"Less than a year," she said, after a time.  "Our old leader was killed.  Blew himself up."

Del didn't press, he let her continue on her own time--she had more to say, just like she had on the shuttle when she first came to him.  If there was anything he had learned, it was that Iden couldn't be rushed to uncover details.

She breathed out, offering a smile to a passing older lady.  "Everyone was upset; he had been leading for a long time.  He had lost his edge though.  The Partisans weren't what they set out to be--they were just hurting people.  It wasn't making a difference."

"You mean the Empire didn't care," he added.  "That sounds a lot like Danic."

Iden's presence felt steady at his side until he mentioned the Empire.  Then it was like a dark cloud--elusive and fleeting; something veiled that he couldn't sense beyond.  They all had strong thoughts about the Empire.

"They do care," Iden said, looking away.  "And it is Danic.  That's why he took over.

They walked on a few steps; Del glanced down an alley.  Iden paused to inspect some produce set outside even at the risk of the rain in presentable baskets.  Then she turned back to him.  "Julen thinks she can do better because she's older, but no one really challenges him that much.  They all know what Danic is doing is the right thing."

Del looked back at her for a moment, holding his staff in the crook of his arm, looking like the humble traveler.  "What is the right thing?"

Iden considered him.  She looked like a civilian, harmless and ordinary.  Under the surface though, he could see the Partisan and the fighter.  She didn't have a fast answer, she had to think about it.  Was she thinking about what was the right answer or what did he want to hear?

"What we're doing now, that's the right thing," she said.  "All the Empire does is hurt people, isn't it?  We're better than that."

She chose what he wanted to hear.  Del still smiled back.

\--

"What was his name?"

Del leaned against the building, grasping his staff with one hand and the other arm draped over it casually.  Just resting himself from the walk through the markets. 

Iden didn't leave his side, instead looking back over the markets to check on Namren as she made her exit toward the ship.  No one followed.

"Who?  The leader?"

Nodding, Del looked up at the sky.  "You didn't tell me his name earlier."  It was a tactic he had noticed with soldiers closing off emotions.  It was easier to accept someone was gone if you didn't admit it.

It would push her though and Del thought she might close up.  So far, she was his only source of information and he cared enough about her to not make her close off at all.  He didn't want to hurt her. 

"Coryn," she said.  "He was an older generation--he'd been doing this for a long time."

Del half smiled.  "Some of us have been fighting our whole lives."

Above them, Dio whirled softly and hovered above Del's shoulders--a droid helper for a man who walked with a staff. No one seemed to question the presence of the droid that way, even if it was facing the market but scanning the garrison.

<<I see you in place,>> Tanus said. <<How long do you need?>>

Pressing the button on his wrist, Del activated the comm unit. "Just a few minutes. Then we can move on."

<<We need to get a droid like that,>> Namren commented. She didn't glance at them as she walked by, her quarren tentacles masking her mouth movement. <<It would be very helpful to have full readouts and maps of areas before we get inside and get ourselves pinned down.>>

"Dio likes to be helpful," Del said into the comm. Iden smiled slightly, risking a look up at the droid. It waved back to her.

<<We need airtight plans, not fancy tricks,>> Danic replied shortly. <<Let's finish up so we can get out of here.>>

As Dio hummed at its progress, Del let go of the comm button and settled his arm against his staff again. Iden occupied herself with a small datapad, focusing on that for a few moments before she broke their silence.

"Kern was from Kuat," she admitted quietly. "He knew the cities in and out. Rumor was that he knew Saw Gerrera; he's served with him and the first bands of Partisans."

Del's heartbeat a little faster with a small adrenaline surge. The former leader of the Renmaar Partisans was from Kuat. He'd been attacking the Empire on his own planet. What would Gideon do with that information on an already sensitive subject? Del almost didn't want to tell him at all but Gid needed to know. He'd want to know.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Then he came back here, according to Danic. I imagine he'd been leading this cell since your friend was growing up here and watching his planet explode."

"He was trying to drive the Empire off of his own planet?" Del asked.

She nodded in return. "The Empire was nothing but peace on my planet. Everyone cooperated. If it wasn't for the dissenters..."

Del shifted on his feet. "The Empire sacrificed a lot of freedoms to get there though," he said.

Beeping softly, the droid returned down toward Del, clipping onto his back and he stood there, not moving at all until Dio had locked itself into place. They did it numerous times throughout the day--it was nothing unusual. That was the signal that it was time to go.

But, Iden didn't move right away. She did reach for his arm though. "Maybe. Freedoms I didn't know. Who makes that choice for me?" she asked. Then she looked up at him. "Have you been fighting your whole life?"

He was still processing the information about Kern and the what the new future would hold now that he knew it. It would burn in his head until he told Gideon, but he was afraid of what else it might do. Not telling him might be worse. He didn't want to make that decision for his friend.

Del tapped the ground with his staff lightly. "Most of it, yes."

"Do you think there will be a time when we're not fighting?" she asked.

She already knew her own answer to that question, he thought. That she was asking for his gave him a good feeling. Maybe the beginning of trust from her too.

"The Force knows all and the Force guides all," he replied. "If we are in balance and we guide ourselves through the Force, then I believe it will all come together. The fighting will stop someday."

Maybe it was what she expected to hear. Iden nodded her head, looking forward. Del started walking, waiting for her to join with him. "But whether that's meant for us or the generations after us is yet to be seen," he added.

Iden wrinkled her nose and looked up. "Do all of these little sayings come out of that musty old book you carry around? They make you sound old," she said, nudging his ribs with her elbow.

So, Iden Versio had a sense of humor. Del laughed out loud and Dio even beeped quietly as it held on for the ride. "Most of them, yes. But, they do have wisdom, don't they?"

"Okay, I'll give you the wise part too," she admitted, grinning to herself.

\--

It took almost a full five minutes for Dio to establish the secure connection. They had their codes, their formalities and routines. Even though Gideon couldn't see Del's face, he could hear the smile as he finally walked freely for the first time during the comm link.

<<How are your ribs? Did they get you patched up?>>

"Patched up well enough." Gideon still had yellowing bruises, but they were fading quickly with the bacta creams. Another day and they should disappear entirely. By the next time Del saw him, he would be back to normal.

<<Good. I'm sure you need all the health you can get,>> Del said.

Gideon breathed out through his nose. "How is it going? You had the first recon today."

He heard Del's tone turn serious and he imagined the smile faded. They had limited time in which either of them could talk and they had to make the most of it.

<<It went well. There's a garrison at the end of the market, across from the travel plaza,>> he reported. <<Dio took some readings.>>

"That could complicate things." Gideon folded his arms as he leaned back against the wall in his quarters. "How are they doing with you?"

<<I'm safe, for the moment. Still trying to gain their trust. If anything goes wrong at this point, I could lose them altogether.>>

"Just be careful, Del," Gideon sighed.

He didn't like being separated. It was never something that Gideon would admit, but the level of trust he had with Del existed nowhere else. It couldn't. With their trust also came the knowledge that Del could get himself into trouble very easily.

Gideon also considered that Del might think the same about him. That wasn't true at all--Gideon could take care of himself.

<<You too,>> Del replied.

Neither of them cut off the comm connection yet though. Just like in the shuttle, there was more to say. Del's wheels were turning, even though Gideon couldn't see it.

He cleared his throat first, preparing Gideon for something uncomfortable and for his part, Gideon tried not to put up his walls but it was an instinct. <<Actually, about the Partisans--.. the second part of the plan. Things change, Gid,>> Del started.

"Del..." It was a warning tone.

As usual, Del ignored it. <<We're on the same side. They could easily be absorbed into the Alliance if they were just transplanted.>>

Gideon rubbed his eyes. Versio's lecture made the day difficult enough, and now it was Del's conscience, or maybe his mystical connection to the Force. It wasn't what he wanted to deal with tonight. "You make it sound like they're misbehaving animals."

<<Well..>> Del sighed. <<It's different than it used to be here.>>

Different than what--than what Gideon remembered of them?

<<Their old leader is dead. He was the one running the attacks--had been for years.>> Del paused. <<His name was Kern. He was from Kuat, Gid.>>

The words reverberated through the comm unit and absorbed into Gideon's chest like the vibrations of a thundering ship. It threatened to shake his world even more than it had already been shaken lately.

"That doesn't change anything," Gideon said shortly.

<<Yes it does. They want to make a difference, but they need the numbers. We could use their help,>> Del insisted. <<The Rebellion could use them.>>

They needed to pay for their sins. Gideon worked his hand closed tightly, feeling the pressure of his nails on his palm, digging into the same imprints left after Versio's meeting. That their leader, possibly the only one who was even around when Gideon was a boy, was dead changed nothing. They were all guilty, even just be association.

Then who was Gideon, Del would ask; judge and jury?

Executioner, Gideon would say.

"We have orders. They _stay_ orders," Gideon said firmly. "I told you not to get attached."

<<It has nothing to do with attachment and everything to do with morality. It's the right thing to do. You know it.>>

"We have _orders_ , Del!" Gideon snapped. "We get the job done. If that involves damning our morals for the greater good of the Alliance, then so be it. You signed up for this job too."

He'd heard it before being drilled into his head all throughout his service. He sounded like Versio. He sounded like Draven. Get the job done no matter what your morals tell you because _somebody_ has to do it. Ruthlessness was the route to power, Versio said. 

Del didn't reply right away. It wasn't the first time they had conflicted, nor would it be the last, but Del had to trust that Gideon was right and Gideon had to trust that Del would do his side of the job.

<<Alright,>> Del said at last. <<I'll contact you after the next mission.>>

It felt like it had taken a lot of energy out of him to explode like that, but Gideon had been feeling it all build up under the surface for a while. The whole atmosphere was explosive. It was Kuat; there was no other answer.

"Good luck," Gideon replied in a quieter tone.

<<You too.>>

Del ended the connection first.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things seem to be rolling right along these days! Adding a little more complication

Chapter 7

Coming back to raised voices in the hanger told Del that he had been gone for too long. He recognized Julen and Danic right away--the two most powerful voices in the Kuat Partisans. Picking up his pace, he headed into the hanger, already feeling the apprehension brought on by the argument.

"I'm telling you, this is how it is. By my orders," Danic said sharply.

It would have batted down rebellion by any of the others, Del thought, but Julen stood toe-to-toe with him anyway. Out of stubbornness or out of what she perceived as right. It was hard to tell between the two.

Julen pointed the crown of her head and her horns at him, displaying their sharpness and her dominance. In any other situation, Julen would _be_ in charge and Danic would follow her lead. "So we're just going change everything because you say so."

Nearby, Tanus had paused at the argument where he was sifting through rations. Iden and Namren had been sitting around a holomap, but Iden rose to her feet. Better to be standing and prepared than caught off guard. Then there was Del, coming in from the outside.

"Don't kriff with me." Julen pointed a finger at Iden, who immediately bristled at the gesture. "We have a plan. This is more action than you've led us on for weeks. Now, you're risking change all because of the Imperial Princess' comfort."

"Hey!" Iden moved until Danic held up his hand. No one else stepped up to her aid; instead, they watched the challenge. "You call me that again and I'll pull your horns out. You know where I stand, Julen."

Julen didn't look impressed, raising her brow impatiently. "Do I? Admiral's daughter?"

Danic snarled, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. "Enough! My orders stand and you don't need to know my reasoning."

He had to interrupt. Del cleared his throat first, trying not to startle an already tense situation. If he stayed calm, hopefully they would be too. "I feel as though this is something I should be aware of."

No one jumped, but he felt the full radius of their attention suddenly shift. There were a lot of things that Del had faced down in his lifetime. Infiltrating, stealing supplies, planting bombs, living in the heart of the Empire. But he had never felt gazes so intense as the heat of the Partisans focused on him.

Danic let go of Julen's arm. "Where the hell have you been?"

Del breathed out, countering their fire with his own cooling temper. "I had to check in with Gideon and let him know our progress," he said. "We're on schedule."

One by one, the eyes dropped off of him. Tanus turned back to the ration packs, tossing a couple onto the floor. Namren added another note to the map. Though, he noted, Iden's eyes drifted away from him, she also kept looking back. And he was inclined to watch her as well. She was at the center of what ever happened; he wanted to know if she was alright.

So was Danic, though. The zabrak man's patience was wearing thin as he huffed through his nose. "I'm getting tired of these clandestine meetings. Whatever the two of you have to say to each other, you can say it in front of all of us."

It would be all too easy to give in to losing his patience too and let it run into a fight, but Del had to work with Gideon Hask. As a result, his patience was legendary.

"We have had this discussion before," he pointed out. "We have our codes; privileged information. Some aspects of this mission need to be kept secret, for your safety. If-.."

"If we're captured and tortured?" Tanus asked. Pulling out another ration pack, he threw it at Julen, who caught it with one hand. "We run that risk every time we go out. We know what to do. None of us would ever give out information willingly."

Del licked his lips with a pause and he believed it, at least from some of them. Tanus would crack, and for all of her built up visage, he also thought Julen. Danic would never say a word and neither would Iden. They knew the score.

He also knew that he was lying through his teeth at them every time he said the words. "I need you to trust me. I trust you."

"Lay off of him, Danic," Julen said. "Let them have their private comms. He's more a rebel than Versio."

Turning his head, Danic actually growled at her. That could be the spark right there. Iden's status may very well throw them into chaos much sooner than Del's presence.

Del moved forward, taking a step into the hot zone, trying to draw attention away from Iden. "What is going on here?"

"We're staying," Danic said without hesitation. "We're not going back to Renmaar between missions."

"That is a big change. There is a plan in place. One we all agreed to," Del pointed out.

"This band has been running together for _years_." Danic walked closer to Del, closing the distance and threatening to invade his personal territory. With the horns on his head and the fire in his eyes at a perceived threat of losing his leadership, he was very intimidating.

"We make our own orders. We agreed to the plan, but _we_ have been doing this, here, on Kuat. Not the two of you. I've had enough of this secretive shab and not having a say."

It was an appropriate time to be afraid, Del noted. At the Temple, the Jedi quieted their fear and anxiety. Guardians respected the emotions instead--they had a place and a purpose. It gave Del the sense to look around again, noting their faces a second time.

Something had changed when they reached Kuat. The nervousness before a mission on Renmaar had spread embers all over the surface of the Partisans and all it would take was a scrap of paper blowing in the wind to ignite the blaze. Or an inferno. Del reminded himself that this is what they did. He had his own orders to make this work.

"Danic, it's not that you don't have a say. I'm not here to take authority away from you-.."

"We're not going back to Renmaar," Danic said shortly. "We're staying right here, in the hanger."

Iden flicked her eyes up at Del and then looked down again and he only caught the movement out of the corner of his gaze, otherwise it would have been too small to notice. There had been discussion while he was gone, there was no doubt about it. Perhaps his conversations with Gideon were also dangerous in the fact that they took Del out of earshot.

He breathed out through his nose, but it was Namren who spoke up instead. "The scouting went well. There is no need for this."

"No, I'm running this operation because I don't like how it's going. We're staying," Danic said. "It's too dangerous to go back and forth. The ship channels are monitored too tightly."

Del pressed his lips together. "We've made provisions for that though. Staying here is worse. There are strong reasons that we've made this decision-.." He didn't look at Iden but he wanted to because it was her. She was the reason they were not risking staying on Kuat. How many of these Imperials already knew her face?

"Del, it's okay," she said, looking up at him. "I agreed to it."

He paused, mid-word, processing the value of the change. Danic's leadership, Julen's challenge, Iden's decision. There was much more than on the surface. And he was asking them to trust him when he was not truthful himself.

"No, that's fine--we'll adjust." Del breathed out, listening to the ripples of energy and emotion. "That I will need to communicate though."

As Danic's eyes narrowed, it was Iden who stepped in again, with a hand on his shoulder. One soldier to another. "Let him. He's fine."

Behind them, Julen snorted in distaste. Danic jerked his head to the side but he didn't correct her. Instead, he just listened.

"Then let Hask know that I've made my decision and we'll wait it out until the dry run."

Del nodded in return. He certainly would--like Danic, Gideon wouldn't like his orders questioned, but Gideon also wasn't on the ground with Del. There wasn't a choice but to compromise.

As he felt the situation unwind itself, he looked over Danic's shoulder and behind them at Julen, who locked her eyes with his, also giving a simple nod. Del said nothing, but she knew something and the Force deepened in mystery. It would provide an opening for him to find out when it was time.

\--

By morning, any evidence of the beating Gideon had taken was gone. The bruises had completely faded from his face and his ribs had knit back together with the help of the bacta. Next to Pahl, he was another officer in the ranks of the Imperial Navy. And combined with Pahl, the two of them appeared unstoppable.

A pair of patrol guards quickly stepped into attention out of the way as they passed out of the lift from the shuttlebay. There was a distinctive clang of the metal walkways of the shipyard ring that had never been improved, despite better and more stable flooring existing in the Empire. If Hask thought that the Empire was capable of being sentimental, he might think that it was a feature of the shipyard now; a callback to the initial foundation of Kuat and its engineering marvel.

It had to be more practical. No one had bothered to replace outdated flooring because it took too much effort and materials. It still had the same shine in the artificial illumination and the same hollow thunk of their footsteps that he remembered from his childhood.

In fact, not much had changed at all with the flow of engineers, troopers and officers back and forth on the walkways. The smell of machinery and the harsh oxidized laser cutters...

"Bringing back memories?" Pahl asked.

He gave her a long look in reply to the smirk that occupied her face. "No, why would it," he said dryly.

She scoffed, whipped her head around to check who was watching, and then hit his shoulder with her helmet. It was good that his ribs had healed after all. "You're an arse."

It broke some of the somberness of the shipyard ring though, and Gideon laughed just a little to himself. "How very dignified of you, Pahl. What were you expecting me to say, really?"

"I expected you to go off like some expert about how you know this place better than anyone else," she replied. "And brag. You _love_ bragging, Hask."

"I don't _brag_."

There was not a shred of amusement on her face as she pointed her brow up at him, expecting a better answer.

Hask narrowed his eyes slightly in thought. "If that's the look you give your troops, I'm not at all surprised that they're well-disciplined. I could see that laser-glare through your helmet." But, he also started to smile. "Alright, I don't need to brag because my record speaks for itself."

"Ah, yes, there it is," Pahl said smugly. "I knew it was in there somewhere. Boasting is the duty of an officer. It boosts morale and kicks the arse of anyone not towing the line."

It was Hask's turn to scoff at her instead. "Right.. you should be selling Imperial propaganda with that."

Looking up at him, she remained smug and confident at the same time. "I do sell it. I'm that good, Hask."

She would, he had no doubt of that. Half-smiling, he followed her to the shipyard transport shuttles.

Their banter, the productive discussion and the soldiers' bragging, it was all part of what created their Imperial confidence. It was the kind of attitude that allowed them to push to the front of her troops. It gave Pahl the ability to pull herself up to a position of power, standing large over her own planet. And Hask, flying a fighter directly to the heart of their enemy and asking for them to help him burn this whole place down.

It wasn't on fire yet. In fact, the shipyard was in large production. The open-air shuttle, built to house persnickety admirals who wanted a heroic view of their ships, swung around the Eviscerator in its docking birth before heading further along the ring.

"Where exactly are you taking me, Pahl?" he asked her.

“To see the future,” she replied.

\--

_"That is your future, Gideon."_

_Standing with his hands on the transparasteel, Gideon looked out over the endless line of starships in various states of construction, but his eyes were mostly drawn to the large frame of the nearly completed star destroyer in front of them. As they started to circle around, his father rested a heavy hand on his shoulder._

_"The big one?" Gideon asked, pointing at the impressively large ship. "I'll be on the big one?"_

_"I have no doubt that you will." Elan Hask let his hand drape over Gideon's shoulders, patting the top of his chest in absent reassurance, looking off into the distance as his son maintained focus on the star destroyer in front of them._

_It was one of many projects that Elan was overseeing, but the one he thought his son would enjoy the most. Gideon had a model just like it on the shelf in his bedroom, next to his other prized possession, the TIE-fighter._

_He took his eyes off of the ship and looked down at his son again, feeling his barely contained excitement. Gideon was practically willing himself through the wall of the shuttle toward the ship. "You'll be an officer one day," Elan said. "Serving the might and will of the Empire."_

_That caught Gideon's attention and he tilted his head back to look up at his father. "I'll be a soldier?"_

_Elan laughed softly through his nose. "If your mother gets her way, yes. There's more to it than just being a soldier. You'll help people in need; protect colonies and interests. The Empire is stronger together and we all have to help that."_

_"Everyone has their duty," Gideon repeated. He stood up a little straighter, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin. For a young boy, he looked a lot like a soldier already._

_Taking his officer's hat off, Elan set it quietly on Gideon's head where it flopped down askew and caught on his ears. Grabbing onto it, the boy grinned, watching their reflection mirrored in the transparasteel against the backdrop of the star destroyer._

_Elan felt as though he looked into the future, seeing his son grow before his eyes into a strong, iron-willed man in a crisp uniform. He could picture him all too well serving on the ship among hundreds of other Imperial crew, yet Gideon standing above them. Like his mother; commanding respect of an entire hospital of staff just like a military ship._

_Before they docked, Elan leaned down and straightened his hat on Gideon's head, then he kissed the top of it. "Try not to grow into a soldier too fast, Gid," he said._

_Gideon looked up at him with questions in his eyes. But, the command officers interrupted them instead. "Director Hask; the new construction bays are prepared for inspection."_

_Placing a hand on Gideon's back, Elan guided him off of the shuttle. "Very well. My son will be accompanying us."_

_The officer's stoic face broke into a faint smile. "Always good to start the next generation young."_

\--

They pulled into the observation dock, Hask was caught by the waves of white troopers processing on the walkways below them. A normal security patrol would do for the construction areas of the ring, not full companies of stormtroopers.

"Why are there so many troopers here?" he asked, walking further along the deck.

Pahl clasped helmet against her side, securing her other arm behind her back. She swelled with pride. "They're mine. Impressed?"

Hardly. If anything, it was another wrinkle in the fabric of their plan. "Very," he answered. "But what are they doing here?"

"I like a good show of might," Pahl replied.

"You do." Hask folded his arms, watching the troopers patrol, thinking that they must be bored out of their mind. "The ring is already protected; why have them here?"

She looked somewhat smug; Versio assigned her something important. Presented as a stepping stone to the admiral's pedestal above the Imperial military forces. "Because if the Rebels knew about this, they would do everything they could to take it out before it takes them out."

It unnerved him in the beginning when Pahl said she had something to show, but her manner in building drama before she presented it made him even more uneasy. She expected him to be impressed. She expected him to agree. He started running scenarios in his head and building the response to match. Hask never would have made it as a spy in the first place if he hadn't been able to hide his thoughts and emotions.

"You act like you're expecting an invasion," he said casually.

She was proud. She practically beamed in the light of Kuat's star and the artificial atmosphere of the shipyard station. "I am."

Pahl brought him to the edge of the observation walkway and in full view of the growing fleet of behemoths. There were seven ships in all, but it was only the start. Since Pahl first set eyes on them, they had grown in readiness--the outer hull of each ship had now been completed and working shuttles, drones and crews buzzed around the area at full speed day and night.

Gideon had seen many ships--all that the Empire had to offer--but he had never seen any like these. Far from being impressed by Imperial might, the feeling that spread across him was dread and fear. Where Pahl saw the victory of destroying the Rebels in fiery glory, Gideon saw destruction rained down on sympathetic planets.

It was the image of Alderaan, popping silently in the vacuum of space and the second of true terror to over two billion innocent souls.

It was against everything his father ever told him the Empire would be--the savior of the civilized systems, bringing peace and security through order.

"Dreadnaughts?" he said, tearing his eyes from them to look at her. "This is the big secret?"

Pahl raised her eyebrows, the whisper of a smirk never leaving her face. "The first of many. Kriffing Rebels don't stand a chance."

He forced a smile that looked real enough, but pulling up her desired reaction was harder he anticipated when his mind raced through images of new weapons pulverizing the Alliance base on Hoth into ash staining the snow. He could mimic her though; Gideon knew what it felt like to be smug about pending victory or hungry for glory. It just came from a difference source. She could never know.

"Versio gave you this?" he asked. "Overseeing this fleet--.. this is a tremendous honor, Pahl. Those ships will cause spectacular destruction."

"Do you think the admiral will transfer his command to one?" she asked.

Hask shook his head. "Not a chance. The Eviscerator is his ship. He wouldn't give it up for anything."

She hummed, looking off toward the distance with narrowed eyes as she strained to see the last ship berthed in the ring. She looked like Versio observing his command.

"When I was a child, I used to look up at this place," she said. "I used to wonder what it would be like to look down on the planet."

It was a familiar view for Hask, but not for Pahl. She was newly grasping at her power. Just like Hask’s days at the academy, Versio was now taking her under his care to nurture her into commanding positions. Part of him could see the allure—standing here watching over a destructive invasion fleet—but it was meant to go against his other secret; the Rebellion.

“Now we’re here,” he agreed. “Is it everything you hoped it would be?”

“You know what this means, Gideon?” She looked back at him, catching his eye. “We can save Kuat with this. We can save the entire Empire. The Rebellion thinks that they crippled us after the Death Star but-…”

But the Death Star destroyed an entire planet of peaceful people, Hask thought. It was meant to intimidate, enforce, and destroy, not to uphold peace. Pahl hadn’t learned that lesson. He had hope one day that he might be able to make her see it but now? All she saw was the allure of power.

“But we can avenge it,” he said. There was no choice but to agree with her. At least here, in the middle of the shipyards. “If that brings us to peace.”

Paul grinned. “Oh, it will alright. Peace, when we wipe out the Rebel scum. I can’t wait to see the day when our enemies fall around us.”

There was no wind on the ring, but Gideon felt a chill cross over the back of his neck. He nodded his head to her instead, maintaining a proud and triumphant posture. "Neither can I. I'll save you some to kill."

It broke the impending darkness, just for a moment, and she laughed. "Like hell you will. You'll have to fight me for them."

"I have no doubt."

He needed to contact Del straight away.

\--

_Gideon’s stolen TIE-fighter looked out of place in the hanger next to half-repaired X-wings and Rebellion stunt fighters. It even started to sink in how it was odd that something Imperial seemed out of place._

_It wasn’t all though—guards watched him, from both near and afar. One or two of them changed their positions just to keep a better eye. Though the Rebellion had fed, clothed and sheltered him, Gideon himself was just as out of place as the TIE was with his rigid posture and polished officer’s stature. He had planned and prepared so long for this moment but, now that he was here, staring up at his TIE, the ship seemed to be the only place where he had common ground._

_Both of them, misplaced Imperial hardware-…_

_“You came in that thing?”_

_Had he not been so highly trained, he might have jumped out of his skin at the voice at his side. Gideon’s hand did reach to his side where his sidearm should be, but the other young man wasn’t a guard. They didn’t dare to actually approach him. This was someone else entirely—someone who must not have minded the stigma of the new Imperial defector, Gideon thought._

_Forcing his hand away from his side, Gideon slid back into his state of relaxed tension, especially around another Rebel. “Braver than you thought, huh?”_

_The second man laughed easily. “I was thinking more along the lines of a death-wish, but we can go with brave on that,” he said. “Do you mind if I take a look?”_

_He had no sooner asked than the man was already striding over to the lonely looking ship, leaving Gideon to catch up._

_“I don’t imagine I’m the one you have to ask about that,” Gideon said. He stopped short of the TIE’s solar panels, folding his arms as he watched the impromptu inspection. The Rebel couldn’t have been much older than him. Awkward, lanky, tall. Core system accent._

_No one else bothered him. General Draven gave him sour looks in all of the two times that he had encountered the man since arriving a couple of days ago and mostly he only dealt with General Merrick. Now, a nosy mechanic._

_“Well, I’m sure they won’t mind.” The other man leaned around one of the panels to look back at Gideon with a grin spread wide over his face. “I’ve never seen one up close. It’s smaller than I thought. Without standard shields, isn’t it much like flying with just some tin foil between you and space?”_

_Gideon had no idea who he was. But somehow, he wasn’t annoying._

_“You can hear space debris if it’s big enough, yes, but nothing rips through the hull. It’s reinforced,” Gideon said. “Still like flying around in a coffin. A highly maneuverable one.”_

_Frowning, the man walked back around the front, standing next to Gideon as he looked up at the window of the cockpit. “Good visibility though. X-wings can be an issue with shorter pilots, where you lose all of that spacial awareness along the sides and underneath.”_

_Gideon raised an eyebrow, looking the man up and down again. “Not that that would be an issue for you.”_

_“No,” he laughed. “No, it wouldn’t.”_

_Turning to face him directly, Gideon folded his arms. “Who are you? Aside from someone who likes ships.”_

_“Ah, yes, I’m sorry—I got very excited when I heard about your TIE,” he held his hand out confidently. “Del Meeko.”_

_At least now the mysteriously friendly man had a name. Gideon shook his head. “Hask. And you’re what, a mechanic? Pilot?”_

_Meeko was, oddly, putting him more at ease. Treating him like a new, old friend. Pleasantly, he also seemed to know what he was talking about, which also helped give him a positive appearance. But why Gideon? Aside from his unusual ship._

_“Both, actually. Well, a little of everything, but I do like to tinker,” Meeko said._

_“Well, this ship is in pristine condition and I would appreciate if it stayed that way.” Gideon clasped his hands behind his back, surveying the TIE again. “I do know a fair deal about them though. My father oversaw ship manufacturing and that included TIEs.”_

_“And much bigger ships as well,” Meeko said, nodding in agreement. “At least from what I understand. I’m familiar with some older models—the legacy class; from the Republic shipyards on Coruscant? I used to run around the engine rooms as a boy; my dad was the head mechanic. As you guessed it.”_

_It couldn’t be coincidence. Meeko knew who he was—he’d been read into the situation. The years working with Versio raced through his head suddenly and Gideon barely had a chance to register that it could be a test before suddenly General Merrick was approaching them._

_Versio would have paraded around with a pair of armed guards, but Merrick walked around freely. Gideon felt the dread of failing the Rebellion's first test creeping even further up on him, but Versio's careful training also extended to his outward demeanor. He wouldn't look nervous. He didn't when he walked into an enemy base, nor when he spoke with an enemy general and convinced his way inside._

_He wondered how much of that same ability Meeko had--how much of it came naturally._

_Merrick stopped next to them, looking up at the dormant TIE, and then much to Gideon's surprise, he smiled. "I see you've met Del. I was hoping the two of you would get on."_

_"There seems to be plenty to talk about, sir," Del replied. "Things we already have in common."_

_The dread didn't disappear; it was another kind of test. Compatibility test. In the Empire, Gideon couldn't dare to doubt his confidence in his skills or he would be rejected quickly by the Imperial War Machine. In the Rebellion, he still wasn't sure of the hidden rules of their society._

_But Merrick seemed to approve, clapping Del's back in a friendly manner. Versio would never dare to touch him. "Good. Glad to hear it. You two will be working together quite closely."_

_As his smile faded, Merrick looked more at Gideon. "I have other news on that front. Reserve your judgement until you've heard all of it, Gideon," Merrick said. "We need you to go back."_

_"What!" Gideon demanded. "You can't send me back; I came here looking to fight! I'm ready to fight now."_

_"For revenge, yes. If you want to help, this is where we need you," Merrick explained, much more calmly._

_The outburst even caught Gideon by surprise and he breathed in and out quickly, but still clenched his fists at his sides. Officers showed no emotion--no reaction. "Was this Draven's idea? Your current spymaster?"_

_The way that Gideon said Draven's name with such distain made the corner of Merrick's mouth lift up slightly. "In part, yes. General Draven had a rough first impression with you and I assure you that he is an arse in most respects. He is a good general, however. We make a lot of hard decisions and this one wasn't taken lightly."_

_Gideon was not one to question orders, but there was a time and a place. This wasn't why he'd come here. He came for the Rebellion, not to be rejected and sent back. "I'm not a spy, sir."_

_"Really?" he asked, raising both eyebrows. "You pulled all of this off, gathered all of this information, and made your way here by yourself. Gideon, you are what we need right now."_

_Merrick folded his arms. "Make no mistake, it won't be easy. You'll be hitting the Empire in its heart. You are more than capable though. I also ensured that you'll be reporting to me, not Draven." He nodded to the TIE-fighter. "One pilot to another."_

_"I don't think you understand, sir," Gideon started. Behind his back, he tried to work his hands out of the balled fists of tension, but he also carried it in his shoulders and his rigid posture. He'd gotten this far. "I would be the first one that they suspect. I stole a fighter, for kriff's sake. It will never work."_

_Del shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have a cover story, and documentation. Everything will be all in order. It's not the first time we've done this."_

_Letting out a breath, Merrick pressed his lips together and it occurred to Gideon that it really hadn't been an easy decision, nor were they easy orders to give. Merrick didn't seem to hide anything, but he also never wavered. He really did believe that Gideon could do this._

_Reaching over, he placed a hand on Gideon's shoulder. It felt foreign and heavy at first, but the connection brought understanding. "You don't have to carry your world on your shoulders. We're here to support you. You're not alone anymore."_

_Gideon looked from Merrick and then to Del, who nodded in agreement. "I'll be with you the whole time," Del said, adding another smile._

_Maybe. Maybe it would work. If he could fool Versio all of this time, maybe he really could fool the entire Empire. Gideon didn't know how to be anything other than alone. He'd have to learn._

\--

Dio charged into the Partisans' hanger with such urgency that it nearly ran into Del when it found him. It barely got a handful of beeps out before it clipped at his clothes, trying to pull him out of the hanger. They had to be careful though and wait for an opening. Del didn't want Danic to see them sneaking off.

Gideon needed to contact him. It was important. Del frowned at the change in protocol and he did consider their last conversation. Tempers rose and fell during assignments. Del thought that there was very little that they hadn't been through over the years.

"Can you get enough signal strength to contact him here?" Del asked.

Maybe, maybe not. It was an urgent message though; it must have been if Gideon risked sending it through a strong enough channel that Dio did pick it up. The droid let its legs gather together underneath it as it hovered and it took a steady position at Del's eye level, turning on its holographic communicator.

Del was surprised that the holocomm even worked for them with all of the encryption and interference. Gideon's image was shaky at best, but it would be the same on his end.

<<..-reading this?>> Audio wasn't any better, but Del could hear him.

He nodded. "Yes, I hear you." Then he paused--Gideon said it was urgent, but the situation with the Partisans was too. Del should let him go first. However, what he had to say could change a lot of things.

"I'm glad you called," Del said. "It's--things are rough here. Tension is very high."

Gideon looked as though he was going to say something else, but he knit his brow instead. <<Worse than before?>>

Del looked down at a patch of dirt. "Look, I know we have our orders, but it's going against all of my instincts. Something else is going on here. You need to reconsider what I've said."

He expected another rebuke. It would be hard to get Gideon to change his mind, but he was human. If he _saw_ what Del did, maybe that would change things.

Instead, Gideon sat back. <<We'll talk about it later. Listen--..>> He trailed off into static as the connection grew weak. Dio beeped a quiet apology and adjusted its settings until the holo image came in more clearly. <<..change the timeframe--this is too important... --running out of time.>>

It really was urgent. Gideon wouldn't change timeframes unless it was mission critical. Del licked his lips. "Gid, wait--I didn't get that part. Repeat."

<<Pahl showed me.>>

Suddenly there was a tingle on the back of Del's neck a hair before he heard the noise. He rocketed his hand out to cover Dio's display and block the image. "Wait," he said in a hushed voice. "Gid, I have to call you back--someone's coming."

Squirming, Dio shut off the transmission and propelled itself backwards out of Del's hand until it could regain its bearings. Del, too, tried to look innocent enough. He didn't have his staff at his side, he thought. These were allies--he shouldn't have to think that.

The crunch of rock underneath a footstep revealed Iden looking around the corner at him. Del let out a breath. Just Iden.

"I was looking for you," she commented, looking more relaxed herself.

Del slid his hands into his pockets in an effort to look even more casual. He wondered if she had heard any of his message, or if it would have made a difference. It wasn't as if Del could hear most of it. "I came out here for a walk. Take Dio for some exercise."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Dio's a droid."

He tapped the top of Dio's disc, and grinned back at her. "I know."

"And it floats."

"Dio likes to go for walks," Del pointed out. "And so do I. It clears my head."

Since coming upon the Partisans' conflict in the hanger, Del had been unsettled. The Force around them was unsettled and he channelled it but couldn't change it. Instead, he had to live with it like a dark shadow lingering just out of sight.

Maybe she felt it more than she admitted too. Soldiers were supposed to rely on their instincts, just like he did.

"I guess we can use that right now," she said.

Del chewed the inside of his lip. "I forgot to ask Gideon about your father the last time we spoke. Next time..."

Iden shook her head, waving it off. "Don't worry about it. Chances are I'll end up seeing him anyway." She smiled, but her heart wasn't in it. "Or not at all."

For the trust that Danic and Iden seemed to have, she didn't look as confident that they were staying. Del wondered how much of this side that Danic even got to see. If Del was the only one, he was certainly honored; but, the world should get to see more of her smile.

"About that.." he started carefully. "I'm sorry. Knowing that he's here--the whole point was not to put you in that situation."

"Del, it's not your fault, and I agreed to it." She folded her arms loosely. "I'm fine with it."

"Are you?"

She looked back at him for a long second without saying anything. Maybe reading him, maybe deciding what to say next. At last, she shifted on her feet and leaned against the side of the building. "He drove my mother away by his devotion to the Empire. I mean, she was loyal too but his service was his purpose. That, and power," she explained.

"I don't know. I was angry with him and I'm still angry; ultimately my mother died alone because he loved a cause more than her. I almost followed him." She paused again, looking back at Del with her brow knit together in thought. "I saw destruction. I saw endless war. I pictured him standing in the middle of it. But, he's still my father, Del. Maybe there's more I need to come to terms with regarding him."

He didn't know what to say. She had just bared her soul to him. It was the biggest form of trust. If he lost all of the Partisans, he would have gained Iden, and her trust was worth so much more. She needed it the most.

"If you saw him again, would he accept you?" Del asked.

Iden looked down at the ground, but also at nothing at all. She breathed in and spoke as she breathed out. "I don't know. Maybe it's just idle thoughts..."

"No." He placed his hand on her arm. "It's not. He's still important to you and you still care about him. The worst thing that war can do is stop you from caring."

She looked up at him as the lines of her forehead softened. "It hasn't stopped you, has it?"

He shook his head. "No. And it hasn't stopped you either."

\--

Julen was watching them as came back into the hanger, but Del avoided looking directly at him. Still, he could feel her gaze just as hot as a laser beam sight. She was a strong, fiery presence in the Partisans and he found her hard to avoid.

It wasn't until after the evening meal that she approached him though, bringing the tension that lingered to a head.

"Come with me," she whispered as she walked past him.

Tanus was standing guard; Namren and Danic were starting to find places to bed down for the night. Iden was cleaning a rifle, but her back was to them. She didn't see as Del slipped quietly toward a dark and unseen corner of the hanger.

"You've seen it too, haven't you?" she asked.

The lack of hostility from her surprised him. He expected to be cornered and attacked; accused of being a traitor. Instead, she looked earnest instead of angry.

"Seen what?" It was an intriguing change of events.

"Iden. The way she talks; the way she works."

Julen glanced back at the shuttle and the small amount of movement, then she moved in closer. "Something is wrong and I've never been able to get to the bottom of it--but you've seen it," she insisted. "You're close to her. She /trusts/ you, doesn't she?"

Del raised his eyebrows in surprise, holding a hand up. "I-.." Then he paused. He shouldn't close off an avenue of possibility. He should let it play out. "You know her better than I do," he said.

"She's already brought Danic onto her side, so that's given her control of the group." She sighed. "You're an outsider. You can change things, Meeko."

It was dark in the corner, but the shadow the Force around them was casting seemed to recede just a little, as if the mist was clearing. As he had been brought to Iden, he had also been brought to this moment. This was important.

"I can try. What is it exactly that you want me to do?"

"Help me get rid of her," Julen said. "Before she gets rid of us."

In the pivotal moment, Del couldn't afford to disagree with her or he would lose out forever. He forced any alarmed thoughts defending Iden to remain calm, and he looked toward the shadow that Iden cast in the light of the hanger. "I'll do what I can."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So an unexpected hiatus. I'm definitely trying to get back. I hammered out the last chapter and I jumped right into the next. That being said, :) the fun is starting to begin with the next couple of chapters! I'm excited to get these out.

Chapter 8

Del's dreams kept him up most of the night with the lingering anxiety and turbulence of the previous day. Close to morning it was pointless to try to continue to sleep; he took the last watch of the night and found a place near the hanger door and settled himself into the last quiet hours of the early morning.

The world felt sleepy still, like there was a mist of quiet over the sleepers on the ground. Del sat cross-legged and faced outward, trying to draw into that atmosphere. Much like it had been in the caves before they kept Renmaar, he was starting to feel the hum of energy in the very earth underneath him. Today they would go back to the markets. Stir up resistance--make the Empire believe that there were still attacks imminent. Draw them further into the city so that they would leave other targets unguarded.

His mind raced ahead, reviewing the plan and going over details. Then Del took a breath and reined it back in. Focus only on what was going to happen today. It was always one step at a time.

He sat in the dark, watching silently as the sky turned from inky black to a gray glow of the approach of dawn. Then the first tendrils of light that reached up, spilling watercolors onto clouds above them.

Once the sun did peak above the horizon, Del reached for his pack and pulled out his prayer book, opening it to a worn page and setting it on the ground in front of him. Closing his eyes, he placed his hands on his knees and soaked in the first warmth of light of the day.

It wasn't long before the world did start coming awake, including the stirring of the Partisans behind him. Del sat still, listening to their movement and the hush of morning voices. The smell of fresh caf and morning supply rations.

Then, the footsteps behind him vibrating gently through the floor until they stopped and the body sat down next to him. Del allowed himself to come lightly out of his meditation and he smiled with his eyes closed.

"Good morning, Iden."

"Good morning. I brought you some tea," she said. "It's much better than the caf."

Del opened his eyes to look at her and reached for the metal mug. "Thank you. Spend enough time around base camps like this and you get used to bad caf. Sort of."

"Sort of," she echoed. Iden took a breath and lifted her chin, looking out toward the sun too. After days of rain, the warmth of the sun drying out the planet was hopeful. It wouldn't always be dreary.

As she lingered with him, Del considered that Iden was actively seeking him out. In the shuttle on Renmaar; last night when she found him talking to Gideon. Del knew that he enjoyed her company, but perhaps it wasn't an illusion that she felt the same.

"Is this how you always prepare?" she asked.

Del nodded. "If I can, even if it's stealing a moment to close my eyes and center on the Force. It helps."

Considering his words, she nodded. "What is today's lesson?"

"You mean-.." He placed his hand over the book, and then flattened out the pages gently. It stayed open well enough on its own without his help. "Today, it's about hope."

"Where there is darkness, there are also stars. Where there is light, there are shadows," he said. "Where one string ends, so the other begins. Where one path begins, so another ends."

"The suns of the worlds will rise again and set again with the force of the stars, so we will rise and fall with the breath of the universe. But, our influence will carry the direction of the next wind and the Force of the universe will guide us as we one with it."

As he looked up, he watched her eyes search for meaning on the ground as she considered the words. Eventually, her focus came back to him. "Del, do you wear the hoods and robes when you read that? Carry around candles and chant in the dark," she asked lightly.

He brought his hands together over his heart as if in prayer. "Do you think it will help?"

Iden laughed. It helped her. They didn't have to have a serious discussion about the nature of the Force and their connection to it as long as the words and meaning were present somewhere. The Force would be there whether they talked about it or not.

"It might," she replied. "Where do you even find these books?"

How much of his secrets did he want to reveal to her? The conversation was light enough. He liked seeing her smile. This was the Iden he was taking the time to know. The Force had brought them together. He had to follow the path he had set out on to the end.

"Various places." He placed his hands on his knees, looking down at the book. "Temples, distant planets. Sometimes one makes it to an archive or a market. But usually, the Force calls me there."

Iden's smile faded some, but it still lingered. Only she took on a more serious demeanor with his answer. "It calls to you?"

Del nodded. "It's hard to describe. Sometimes a connection to the Force is deeply personal. It changes from person to person."

"Like instinct."

"Yes," he said. "Your instincts may feed from the Force. It does connect all of us."

Looking off at the sunrise, Iden remained quiet. She was thinking. He could see it in her posture with her back straight and her eyes searching for the thoughts. Del often looked off to the horizon as he thought about being elsewhere too.

"You must have quite the adventures," she said at last.

"Sometimes." He smiled at her. "Perhaps when this is over you can come with me."

She looked down with a warm smile. "I'd like that a lot, actually. It's been a while since I've had adventures outside of this."

The argument with Gideon lingered in the back of his mind, behind his smile back at her. Del knew he shouldn't make promises like that, but they had to have a future. There had to be something that they could work out. It was a discussion for another time with Gideon, but time was running out and the more time he spent with the Partisans, the more he knew they were worth saving.

Even Iden. Even Julen.

"Thank you for sharing a sunrise with me," he said, looking back at her.

She hummed in response, looking relaxed as she sat with her legs crossed, just like him. "This is the first I've seen on Kuat since we've gotten here. It could almost be romantic."

"If there wasn't a war on," Del added.

Without a pause, she raised her eyebrows at him expectantly. "Don't ruin it, Meeko."

Del held his hands up, but he couldn't hold back his smile either. They were here on a dangerous mission in the middle of the war, but with her and the sunrise he could forget about it for a few moments. Because of Iden. Because he enjoyed her company, and he enjoyed her.

"May I join you?"

He looked up at Namren as she stood just behind them, and he shifted over to make more room in the hanger doorway, giving her a place to sit in the sun with them. "Of course. Enjoy the warmth."

As she settled, her facial tentacles stretched and relaxed, in a visual to how the muscles in Del's body felt. "I do prefer the rain, but it is peaceful here."

"It is, indeed." Del looked across to Iden again, meeting her eyes. There was another figure behind them, just in the corner of his vision. He turned further. "Julen, come join us too."

Leaning against the wall, she narrowed her eyes, but also quirked a brow at Del before she turned away. "Get your rations now before they're gone."

He'd been so occupied with his conversation with Iden that he wondered how long Julen had been there watching. She was always watching, just as Iden did. How much of it was necessary.

As he took another moment to spend among his friends, he considered that Julen had to be wrong to distrust Iden. She was one of them, no matter her family. She believed in peace.

But, he didn't mention it to Iden either. Del knew people well; Julen wasn't lying. It was another path that he needed to play out.

\--

The plan was starting to fall to pieces already. Gideon knew the value of contingency planning--the tighter-knit a plan was, the more there was to go wrong--and as a fighter pilot, he was quick to react, calculate and try again. As such, it wasn't at an emergency level yet, however their setting was changing quickly.

From his inability to talk to Del and speed up their final attack on the shipyard to the Partisans' apparent internal conflict. Now Versio had called a meeting last minute, interrupting where Gideon should be during the market garrison attack. He was already on edge as he came up to Versio's office and he nearly ran into his aide Balren coming out into the hallway, followed in fact by Versio himself.

Hask paused in the hallway with the needle-prick feeling of the hair on his neck standing up. He managed to quickly recover his voice though. "Admiral. You asked for me?"

Versio hummed, and then started to walk down the hallway with only a single hand motion to follow. "This break in the storm offers us an opportunity to go outside," he explained as they neared the lift. "The garrison commander is an acquaintance. He wanted his security troops observed outside of the market and the transit plaza."

Kriff.

He flinched. Dread was like an electric charge down his spine. The skin of his neck grew hot and he hoped to the stars that it wasn't visible in his face.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen at all. He was supposed to be trying to get to the shipyard for a trial run, not in the market during the attack.

Certainly Admiral Versio was not supposed to be there either.

By the time they were in the elevator, Gideon didn't even remember walking there, only the alarm sirens in his head. How could Versio have happened to pick their target out of pure chance? Did he know at all? How much?

"Hask," Versio said suddenly in a sharp voice. "I was speaking to you."

"Sir.. I apologize."

The admiral stared him down. Hask took a deep breath and forced the sensation of relaxing to spread over his body. He had been doing this for years. He wasn't going to lose all of it now because Versio did something unexpected.

But, the admiral's disapproving noise gave him second thoughts. "You have something else on your mind?"

The tone was laced with impatience, but Hask also knew that Versio wouldn't intentionally ask him if something was wrong. Or perhaps not in public in the presence of his aide. He could not appear too familiar.

"Sir." Hask knit his brow together. "I'm concerned about recent events on Kuat that a high ranking officer going out in public is not a good idea. With the Partisans nearby."

“You know something that we don’t?” Balren asked, casting a critical eye on him.

Hask was much more focused on Versio and what he knew or thought than to give much of a thought to Balren at all. Certainly he didn’t squirm under the scrutiny. “I know plenty more than you, Lieutenant Commander. Nothing specific you should know about.” He punctuated it with a small smirk.

The lift stopped at the bottom and Versio looked at him. "That would not be an issue if you had done your job property, Hask."

Balren snorted softly. Hask felt the heat in his face this time. Good, let it show like anger. "I fully intend to rectify that," he said in a low tone.

“You better.” Versio charged out of the lift on the ground floor, not pausing to see if Hask and Balren followed. “In the meantime, you will act as my personal security, Hask. If you’re that concerned about safety.”

He had much better things to do than to traipse around a crowded market soon to be a Partisan target with Versio, and especially with Balren. Better things to do such as completing his mission. Ensuring that his way up to the ring once the attack started would actually work. Or that he could even get his way to the main control room.

Versio was supposed to be punishing him for his failure at the hands of the Partisans. It would be even more of a punishment if this caused him to fail in his true mission here, now. He had no doubt at all that if he did fail, Draven would never accept him back and he’d be exiled by both sides.

And, he would have failed at his only chance to avenge his family against both sides who caused their disaster.

“Sir.” Hask picked up his pace to come closer to Versio, just over his shoulder, and leaving shorter Balren a few steps behind. “You did ground me.”

Pausing, Versio looked up at him, thoroughly unamused. “I will not tolerate further protest,” he said. “This is your home planet. You’re coming.”

Hask squared his jaw. It said a lot that Versio allowed him to protest in the first place, but he also knew when the admiral was at the end of his patience. As they took the transport to the market, his mind raced ahead to form the possibilities and he tried to rein it back in to stay focused.

\--

"The Force of others be with you."

As Del stepped away from the market vendor to rejoin Tanus in the street, the boy looked back at the vendor in slight alarm before pulling Del a little fast. Though it was much like trying to hurry a glacier to carve a valley.

"You shouldn't say that here. Not out loud," Tanus said quickly.

Del took a couple of larger steps to keep up with him to easily keep up with Tanus' urgency, before slowing back down to his slow and methodic pace, accented by the thunk of his staff. No one would question the slow-moving man and his walking staff, or his assistance droid. For Del with his height, it was hard for him to blend into a crowd--instead, he stood out intentionally.

"Why not?" he asked.

"We're in Imperial controlled territory," Tanus said, keeping his voice low. He turned sideways to squeeze through a tight space of people while staying close to Del. "Do you even have to ask?"

Del shrugged a shoulder, pausing at a fork in the market. "I don't mean any harm with it. Not to the Imperials; not to the residents."

Iden came up beside him, taking hold of his free arm. "I think we do mean a little harm."

"True. But not to the civilians." Looking down at Tanus, he added. "If I don't speak of my faith in the Force, who will?"

"It won't do you very much good if it gets you killed," Tanus said. "Or us."

"We're going to make it, Tanus." Iden let go of Del's arm. They were getting closer to the cafe at the edge of the market where Julen and Danic were waiting. "I've got the last package. You two go ahead."

Del felt the weight of her hand slip from his arm and a chill at the same time. The Force spoke, but it didn't speak in words. "Iden?" he asked. She was already gone though, slipping away into the depths of the crowd.

Tanus chewed his lip. Maybe Del was feeling the boy's nervous energy. Working into a smile, he clapped Tanus' back lightly. "Come on. We're almost done."

Almost done blowing up garrison troopers. Del could feel Tanus' muscles trembling underneath his clothes. It made him consider what it meant that he, himself, was so calm.

\--

"Did you make contact yet?" Danic asked, risking a look up at Del. "We're running out of time."

He stood at the end of the table, leaning on his staff and offering a greeting hand to Julen, who did shake it as if they were old friends. "Not yet," Del said. "He may not be able to make contact."

That was a wrinkle. Gideon hadn't been able to contact Del to let him know he was going to the shipyard during the diversion. If they weren't able to test today, it could mean other issues later on and as far as Del was concerned, they had enough of them.

"We should call it off," Julen said, folding her arms. She looked at Tanus who was biting on the end of his thumbnail. "We can't hold here forever. It won't take them long to discover the packages and then we're done anyway."

"We serve more than one purpose here." Del gripped his staff with both hands again. "We want to stir them up. Make them anticipate further moves. With their security tightened, we will be able to slip through more easily."

"You expect more security to make this easier?" Tanus hissed in surprise.

Julen shot him a heated glance with the clear message of keep your voice down. That was another question though. In theory, yes. In another theory, no. Gideon was well-versed in Imperial activity and if he suspected it would work, then it should. Del was also, and what he said agreed. What the Partisans saw was an entirely different point of view. Sometimes that made the biggest difference.

Del breathed out slowly, shedding off a few tingling anxieties of nerves. "Well, the future is always in motion," he said. "And all is in the path of the Force."

"Because that's comforting.." Tanus sighed.

Holding up a hand to silence them, Danic reached to touch his comm. "Is everyone in place? Namren? Iden; what's your location?"

‘Minimize civilian casualty,’ was Danic's first order. They had reviewed everything before they left with each member repeating their duty from memory.

Namren was stationed by the garrison door with the biggest detonator pack. She would place her backpack on the ground next to her and busy herself with her datapad until it was time. Then she would walk away. Walk quickly away.

Danic planted a smaller device outside of an outpost at the edge of the market. Julen kept an eye on it.

Tanus and Del were the lookouts, watching for safety in the middle of the market until everyone was in place.

Iden was the last one. The garrison had a tank that patrolled the outside streets. She would get close, plant the detonator, and once hers was in place, they would all go. Once hers was in place, they would disrupt the day of all of these people and throw them into terror. It wasn’t bad enough that they were already forced subjects of the Empire, but the people who were supposed to save them were unintentionally or not hurting them in their own streets.

Del could hear the Partisans recite their orders in their own voices, just an hour or so before. It was no wonder at all that Gideon felt the way that he did. But did that mean that the efforts of the Partisans had to be completely extinguished? That they couldn’t be saved?

He looked at Danic, waiting as Namren reported in safely. ‘Minimize civilian casualty,’ Danic had said. ‘Stay together; stick to your assignments. We all come out of this alive.’

<<There are more troopers on the street than expected,>> Namren said. <<I wouldn't be able to stay here long without attracting attention.>>

Danic breathed out slowly through his nose. "I've noticed. I don't like this. Namren, leave your package and walk away. Iden?"

The silence over the comm was tense. Del could hear Julen scuffing her foot on the ground rather than any commlink movement. After another long second, there was the click of activation and then Iden's voice at last.

<<I got it--lots of activity around the tank,>> she said quickly, sounding out of breath. <<Danic, something's wrong with the arming trigger. It wouldn't set-..>>

She was cut off by the sudden blast of an explosion.

Danic jumped out of his chair, knocking it over, with the fiery reflection on his face. They felt the heat of it. And in a second, there was another at the other end of the market. Then a third--the garrison.

All of the charges were set to go off together. If one went, they all did. In the breath before the panic set in, Danic grabbed his comm and shouted into it.

"Iden!"

\--

If Gideon didn't have another mission to complete, observing the inner-city garrison would have been the dullest way to spend a morning. With the rain paused, there were plenty of civilians out mixed among a large number of stormtroopers. It was more than Gideon remembered seeing in the city the last time he had actually walked around the streets.

The Empire told its citizens not to be afraid to go out and the people took comfort in seeing so many armed troopers patrolling. Though, the latest word that Gideon had heard said that attacks in the city were not nearly as frequent as they used to be--they hadn't had one in a while now. He could see the courage building up on the faces of the people for the first time in a long time.

They were going to change all of that. Gideon had learned that was the reality of war. The Rebels knew war to be total. No one was immune. But what did it mean that the Rebels were the side driving it? While the Empire was the side ignoring it.

Balren stifled a yawn as they stopped nearby a street tank. The garrison commander spoke with the admiral, explaining procedures, rotations and things that Gideon had long-stopped listening. If they didn't already have a plan in place to take care of the garrison and the transit plaza guards, it might be worth hearing.

The thought of the attack gave a new twist to his stomach. He didn't know the exact targets that the partisans were planning to hit but it had to be soon. He wondered if anyone had seen them. Not that they could contact him easily, not with Versio speaking with the commander and Balren watching all of their movements.

"Commander Hask," Versio said suddenly.

Gideon straightened up to attention; hopefully he hadn't missed anything this time. "Sir."

"Your analysis of the security rotation?" Versio clasped his hands behind his back, patient but expectant.

It was an even bigger test. Preoccupied with the fact that the market might blow up at any minute, he had to stay focused on the conversation. Before he could even speak though, he was drawn to movement near the corner of a building by the tank. There was movement all over the market. This was different.

He turned his head slightly to see. As if the situation couldn't turn any worse, it was Iden.

For a second, they locked eyes. Gideon felt his adrenaline surge and he saw her eyes widen, even at the distance. They needed to move. They needed to move, quickly.

He couldn't grab the Admiral, but he turned his body away suddenly, direction attention back toward the other side of the market, urging them to walk. "Commander, tell me more about the lockdown procedures."

Gideon was surprised at the calmness of his own voice, but he had to keep moving and he couldn't risk looking back to see if Balren would come. It would draw too much attention to Iden. That would have ended everything immediately.

"We've performed many drills, including live tests, for lockdown readiness," the commander reported, walking with them away from the tank.

He wasn't really listening. His heart was beating fast. The Partisans would know he was here now. Everything was about to change in a way that he couldn't predict, only know that it was coming. Gideon was aware of everything, even the sweat dripping down the side of his forehead.

"Admiral!" Balren's alarm injected urgency into their group and as Versio turned, he grabbed Gideon's shoulder. "Admiral, quic-..!"

The tank exploded.

For a second, Gideon saw the explosion start and his movements felt sluggish and not nearly fast enough as his first instinct was to grab Versio and pull him to the ground just ahead of the shockwave that knocked them over anyway. He still felt the heat and the deafening noise making his ears ring and shutting out all other sound.

But his heart beating in his throat and the ragged sound of his breathing said that they were still alive. The attack had begun.

\--

_At 9, Gideon had already seen more than one attack in Prosperity City. When the explosion went off inside, he didn't recognize the sound right away but his instincts told him to get down to the floor even before he felt his father's arms around him, protecting his body from debris._

_The building shook; beams collapsed and buckled under the strain, even with the detonation at the other end of the travel plaza. For a brief moment, it was silent enough to hear the creaking of the building. Even with his entire school class there, none of them screamed. Imperial citizens of Prosperity knew what to do and it was so familiar that they only sounds were the cries of the wounded. Not cries of fears._

_Instead, the fear was silent. Gideon gripped his father's arm until he could start squirming and try to get up. Elan held onto him as he looked up, pausing for a second longer to wait and hear. The explosion was only the start of the attack._

_Within a minute, there was blaster fire in the distance. Several of his classmates gasped in fear. They were supposed to tour a brand new ship construction led by Director Hask himself. Instead, they were huddling on the floor of the travel plaza, surrounded by shaking townspeople and stormtroopers who were only just starting to react._

_"Gideon? Elan!" Marda shuffled closer, reaching for her husband's arm, then pulling Gideon close to her chest. "Elan, we need to get the children out."_

_"The blaster fire is getting closer," Elan said. As he looked down toward the other end of the plaza, several troopers ran by to try to quell the firing but many more took up positions once they got back to their feet, directing civilian traffic away._

_The troopers would protect them, Gideon thought. They had to; that was their duty. None came to their aid though, and no one came to the group of children to even make sure that they were alright._

_As the teacher gathered up the class, pulling them away from the middle of the floor, Marda was looking around sharply. She set her jaw with a determined look._

_"Mum?" Gideon asked._

_Elan got to his feet, placing his hand on his wife's back. They needed to get the children out as she said, but as he followed Marda's line of sight, he saw what she saw. Troopers at the doors, blocking all exits. Large blast doors had been slammed down and been locked in place. Lockdown._

_"Marda," he said, urgently. "The children. We need to go now."_

_"Go where?" she asked, looking up at him._

_There was a pop of a detonator down the hallway and an accompanying scream. Gideon flinched at the noise. Looking down at him, Marda grabbed his shoulders. "Gideon, listen to me. You stay close and do as we say. Understand?"_

_He swallowed his fear carefully. "Mum--we can get out, right?"_

_"Go back to your class. Stay down," Elan said, brushing Gideon's hair back. "Go now."_

_He didn't move at first as Marda let go of him and marched without hesitation to the stationary troopers outside of the military transport that was blocked from leaving by debris. "Troopers. On my command, those children need an escort out," she said firmly. "The rest of the civilians. Get on it."_

_None of them moved. Not for the officer in the white medical uniform. This was what Gideon had heard his parents talk about at home; what he had heard them say to friends that turned into arguments or hushed voices. You can't /talk/ like that; other people will hear you and get the wrong idea._

_Elan stood a few feet in front of the children, looking from the troopers to the fighting at the end of the hall. It was still obstructed by the noises were getting closer. One of the children started crying and another told them to hush. They had to be brave._

_"What is the meaning of this?" An officer approached angrily staring down Marda. "These men are under my command. We have orders to hold."_

_"I'm overriding those orders," Marda snapped back._

_"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't recognize your command," the officer replied._

_She bristled at the comment and Elan moved closer. "Do you have any idea who I am?"_

_The officer looked between the two of them and clenched his jaw. "Yes, Director Hask, I know who you are. I cannot deviate from my orders. We must protect the military assets."_

_"These are children for kriff's sake!" Elan stressed._

_Gideon clenched his hands into fists and looked at the troopers at the door. He'd seen a lockdown on the streets before; troopers wouldn't let anyone move at all. He'd been in the hospital when it was locked down and heard his mother echoing orders to let no one through. If they ran for it, would the stormtroopers gun_ them _down?_

_A woman ran out from around the debris suddenly, desperately escaping the attack on the other side. One of the trooper guards dropped to his knee to take a shot at her, dropping her on the floor. That brought out a few screams from the shaken children, but Gideon stood strong in front of them, even though his arms were shaking._

_Marda used the distraction and grabbed the officer, spinning him around and relieving him of his sidearm. Then she pushed him away, holding the blaster pistol aimed directly at him. "Elan!"_

_Stepping forward, Elan pointed at one of the stormtroopers. "Give me your weapon, now."_

_Looking between Elan and the officer held at gunpoint, the trooper only hesitated for a moment before he handed over his blaster. Elan moved closer to Marda, holding the blaster on the rest of the troopers. As Gideon thought about it, his father never carried a sidearm. He didn't think he'd ever seen him with a blaster._

_But, Elan was an engineer. It was Marda who had risen the ranks by sheer force of command to run a hospital, and she was the one with the combat experience. She was also the one to act for the children._

_"Now, these children are getting out of here. You troopers are going to escort them," Marda ordered._

_Elan looked uneasy at his wife, but he didn't stand down either. Instead, he nodded to the officer. "Lift the lockdown."_

_"You can't be serious.." the officer said cautiously._

_"Do as I say!" Elan shouted._

_Holding his hands up, the officer slowly nodded his head, and then turned to the side but never took his eyes off of the Hasks. "Do it. Lift the blast doors."_

_The troopers shifted around before one of them jogged away to initiate the process. As soon as the man moved, Gideon broke away from his class and ran up to Marda, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding onto her. She draped an arm around his shoulders but didn't lower her blaster or lose her focus. "It's okay, Gid. We're getting out. It's okay."_

_"Stick close, son," Elan said, glancing at him. He tried to offer the boy a smile._

_Gideon didn't smile back. Seeing his parents in a standoff with the stormtroopers who protected their streets was more terrifying than the bomb going off itself. What would happen once they marched out the doors of the plaza?_

_Rubbing his back again, Marda let go of him. "Come on, Gideon. Walk out proudly. We let the rest of the soldiers do their jobs."_

_"Mum, I don't want you to do this," Gideon said softly._

_Marda didn't question his protest, nor did she shoot it down. She stood firm. But, she looked away for a moment to see her husband's nervous eyes, and her son. "You will be fine, Gid. I promise."_

_As they walked out under an artificial calm, there was another explosion behind them as the fighting came to a close. The children jumped, a few cried. Elan tightened his jaw and reached for Marda's hand, squeezing it tightly. And Gideon watched, standing up bravely even when he wanted to crumble._

\--

_"Elan Hask. Marda Hask. You understand the charges against you?"_

_The military police had come the night of the attack. By the time the trial was over, Gideon had turned ten years old when his parents were imprisoned. He stood up stiff-backed while his conservator held onto his shoulders, pointing him forward._

_The high general of Kuat's military forces stood alongside of the planet's governor and the sector Moff. They had attracted a lot of attention. But it wasn't every day that two such high-ranking individuals faced such strong charges._

_The governor addressed them again. "The Galactic Imperial court has convicted you of destruction of 30 million credits of military equipment, mutiny in a hostile situation, and treason against the Empire."_

_Marda and Elan stood just as straight and tall in front of the line of stoic stormtroopers, with no sign of fear. No drooping of shoulders or shaking. Gideon tried to take their example, but the muscles in his body were so tense that he trembled on occasion anyway._

_What would happen to him? Who would he become? Would they come for him next? How would he fight this... He couldn't get them out now. He considered breaking away and running in front of the troopers, grabbing his parents and pulling them down. The conservator's hands tightened on his shoulders and then the man let go of one and patted him on the back in an effort to be comforting._

_"Do you have anything else to say?" the governor asked._

_Elan's shoulders stiffened, but Marda spoke first. "Gideon--know what is expected of you."_

_"We love you, son," Elan added. "Very much."_

_"Very much," Marda echoed._

_The sector moff scoffed at words and rolled his eyes. "Enough of this.."_

_They couldn't see that he was even there. For all that the Hasks knew, Gideon might not even be there. No doubt they prayed he wasn't, but word would reach him all the same._

_Instead, Gideon stood with the muscles in his legs aching from the strain of his tension, his stomach twisting in knots and, much to his frustration, tears welling in his eyes. He did know what was expected of him. By the end of the trial, when he knew that it would end in execution (specifically, as his conservator said, because the Empire wanted to make an example of them), Gideon did get to see his parents one last time._

_He was expected to follow orders and serve the Empire in the best capacity he could. Don't take the example of those soldiers; serve the people. Make things right._

_Above all, he was expected to live._

_The moff waved his hand. "Do it."_

_Gideon flinched at the sound of the blasters and he thought about turning his head away, but the conservator tightened his hold again. Breathing out a ragged breath, he blinked back tears not wanting to dare to let them spill out and show weakness. Any weakness now would be his downfall. He had to hold onto his future, for his mother and for his father._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I've managed to be productive? All I needed was productive stress! Which is good because last chapter and this one really belong together :)

Chapter 9

The smell of smoke reminded him of his childhood. Acrid and horrible, coating the back of his throat and irritating his eyes to water before he even opened them. Gideon pressed his forehead into the ground, trying not to breathe it in until he had to gasp for air, sucking the smoke in and nearly choking on it.

It reminded him of all of the horrors of his childhood. The sounds and smells of the travel plaza, of the last time he saw his parents, of his last day on Kuat in itself. With his ears still ringing from the explosion, it invited him into a private hell just for a minute where he expected to open his eyes to see his memories laid out in front of him.

It wasn’t; it was the market. Gideon squinted through the haze of the smoke, breathing harshly as the ringing started to fade. No, it was the tank explosion. It was grabbing Versio. It was Balren too far behind them and consumed by the blast.

It was Iden. She had been right there. With Versio forcing him into the market just in time for the attack, and now Iden far too close, the plan was already compromised beyond repair. The last thing he needed was both of them in the same place at the same time.

\--

"Iden!"

The thunder of the explosions echoing down the market corridors left the Partisans in a panicked silence as the citizens of Kuat held their breath before the chaos erupted. With some screams of terror and surprise, the citizens of Kuat immediately ducked for cover and protected themselves. It was practiced and orderly. So many of them had already experienced the immediate feeling of a threat before that they knew exactly what to do.It left the Partisans as the only ones standing in the middle of the market.

Tanus took a few steps back, the blood immediately draining from his face, and Danic looked at Del. In the second that they exchanged glances it was unclear what he was thinking other than the immediate situation. Iden and Namren were there.

Del's own mind was whirling with the shock of the bombs and the overload of sudden emotions. The pain and fear of the people hit him in a hot wave like the smoke and dust rolling through corridors after the initial bomb shockwaves, with a force that almost made him stagger backwards.

Danic suddenly bolted. Del, off balance with the Force, missed the warning sign and as he reached out to grab the man, he was too late. Danic ran off toward one of the smoke plumes.

"Frick--Danic!" Julen didn't hesitate in following him, running after him with a rush of wind in the dead air.

Del didn't tell Tanus to follow, but as soon as he ran after them, he heard the boy behind him. As soon as they turned the corner, Julen had caught up and grabbed Danic, yanking him into another alcove between buildings and holding him back with a snarl in her teeth.

"Let go of me," Danic growled, wrestling out of Julen's grasp.

This was catastrophic, Del thought, sliding to a halt alongside of them with Tanus nearly running into the back of them. He reached out and caught the boy, pulling him closer and out of the line of sight. Out of all of his missions, Del had been in some intense situations with Gideon. There were times he felt certain that they wouldn't escape, but they always did. Del was really not certain this time.

"Pull yourself together." Julen let go, but pushed his shoulder. "Kriffing stormtroopers will be here any second!"

Tanus tried not to shake as the adrenaline rushed through his system all at once. "What do we do now?"

"Split up. Go after the others!" Julen said quickly.

Tanus shook his head quickly, clenching his fists at his side and feeling like a warm ball of energy next to Del. "If we split up, we'll never get back together again and we won't get out."

"Either way, we're running out of time," Julen shot back. "Garrisons' are locking down now." For all of the practice the Partisans gave them, they were very good at subduing attacks by now. Their response time was as fast as the civilians themselves.

Danic held his hand up, lips pressed so tightly together that they turned white. "Enough!" He looked at Del. "Well? What do we do!"

Fear was as heavy here as anywhere else. The brief silence after the explosions, the distant cries of the wounded, all of it was interrupted by alarms and the sound of incoming troopers.

Del focused through the pain lingering in the Force, but he still felt all of it. Most importantly, he felt pain, fear and doubt all emanating from the Partisans themselves as if they glowed with their emotions. "This is your ground," Del said. "It's your call. Make it quickly."

It wasn't what Danic wanted to hear. Del thought he knew would Gideon would do--he wouldn't hesitate but he would decide and he would live with it. For a soldier in the field, instincts decided who lived and died. There wasn't time for anything else.

Danic's instincts hadn't been challenged in such a way yet. The longer he took, the less time they had to make it out alive.

After a second that felt like a lifetime, Danic looked back at Del. "We split up."

\--

Versio wasn't injured, but Hask still had to pull him up out of the chaos left by the blast ahead of the garrison troops making their way to them.

"Hask. Balren--.."

Catching Versio, Hask pulled him back away from the wreckage of the tank. Away from Iden and potentially blowing their entire cover. "No, sir. He's gone."

There was no going back and he couldn't risk Versio running into his daughter here.

There was a secondary explosion nearby, making both of them duck. Versio coughed in the smoke and held onto Hask's arm as he guiding him away. The blast must have stunned him as he didn't try to take command yet. He left it to Hask to get him to safety.

They passed by wounded civilians writhing in pain on the ground and a pair of dead troopers who had been caught by the explosion out of shelter. The rest of the survivor’s faces were hidden behind cover, looking out as the survivors stumbled away from the smoke. It was only a second longer until the troopers did rush in.

Anyone alive held up their hands, showing their innocence in order to be checked by the forces meant to subdue any remaining threat. Hask let go of the admiral, stepping out in front as the soldiers swarmed around them with blasters raised. "Stand down!" he ordered. "By Admiral Versio's authority, stand down."

Versio stood behind him and Hask could feel his sharp judgment as he watched Hask take command of the situation. The orders made the troopers pause until they lowered their weapons, awaiting new orders instead as if they were wild animals suddenly tamed.

That was his moment. Hask walked forward, pointing at several troopers. "This squad, see to the admiral's safety and get him the hell out of here."

They acknowledged the orders with a sharp response of 'sir', nearly unified. The rest stood waiting.

The explosion had started Hask's heart pounding and blood rushing. He was ready for action now. In fact, he was waiting for it, urging it to happen. It was the smell of the battlefield that caused his training to come into effect. He turned back to look at Versio.

"Hask. Lock down the area," Versio said. "Take charge of the garrison. Do _not_ fail me this time." The admiral maintained a harsh tone in the face of the disaster, but there was a look of pride too.

This was Hask's element; this was everything that Versio had prepared him for his whole career. For the admiral, it must have been a beautiful thing to see in person. Hask snapped a salute in response and drew his sidearm.

"The rest of you, with me. Radio in. Per the admiral's orders, we are not letting any of these kriffing rebels escape," Hask said.

He left the admiral behind under the custody of the other troopers, and as he headed off, heading up the assault troopers, Hask could hear Versio issuing more orders and taking charge. The battlefield was his, but Versio was going to make it more complicated. Maybe this was Gideon's chance to take care of old business after all.

\--

Dio buzzed urgently above Del's head, forcing them around a corner and behind a storage container while a squad of troopers passed by on the street. Tanus barely had a chance to duck in next to Del before being seen, but they made it. Barely.

As soon as the troopers passed, Tanus risked looking out again and then wrinkled his brow up at the droid. "What's he saying now?"

"Several things," Del replied. The droid whirled at him again, setting down lightly on his shoulder. "He's picking up comm transmissions from the garrison. It's not good."

Tanus knit his brow together in concern. The worried expression hadn't really left him since the bombs started going off. It made Del's stomach twist to even consider the anxiety that he must be feeling.

For Tanus' sake, Del remained as calm as he could reaching for his comlink. "Danic. Dio is scanning the open comm frequencies." He looked away from Tanus' face for a moment. "He says there's an admiral on the ground and security forces are pulling in extra troops. They're en route. Along with special forces."

There was no reply right away, only the static of dead air. If Danic had turned off his comm in the heat of everything, they could walk right into increased forces and then they would never get out. It would be the final shoot-out right here in the marketplace.

Del looked at Tanus, watching the young man pull himself out of anxiousness and hardening the lines around his mouth into determination. No, they couldn't end here. There was still too much to do.

"Danic?" Del asked again.

The commlink crackled softly at the increased comm traffic. <<I hear you,>> Danic said. <<Be careful. We're almost to Namren's position.>>

"We'll find Iden," Del assured him.

Shoving his commlink back in his pocket, Del nodded back to the road. "Come on, we're clear." He got up, expecting Tanus to follow. Certainly he didn't expect Tanus to be the first one to step out into the dangerous walkways. But as he moved, Tanus reached out and grabbed Del's arm.

"Del. With everything that's gone-.." Tanus started. "Is the Force still with us?"

That was the question, wasn't it? With how wrong everything had gone, it didn't feel like it. It didn't feel like it a lot of the time. A lack of faith could break a soldier in the field though.

"Yes," Del replied. "The Force is always with us. We are the ones who have to trust it’s there."

"It shouldn't be all on us. It should _give_ us something here," Tanus said.

Del smiled back, holding his hand out. "Then let's see what energy we can draw."

\--

Sweeping streets for an unknown threat was a dangerous activity but the Kuat security forces had plenty of practice so their execution was nearly flawless. They moved solid in the close quarters of the market with blasters trained in all directions to cover each other from any kind of threat. Civilians compiled or were put down on the ground forcefully, but so far they hadn't come across any resistance.

That didn't mean that they weren't out there. Hask was certain that the Partisans hadn't gotten out in time. Leading the squad of security forces meant that he wouldn't be able to warn them before they came under fire. As he watched one of the troopers push down a woman who tried to get up too soon and check her over for weapons before moving on, he began to think… what if the Partisans had accomplished all that they needed to accomplish now?

If they visibly eliminated the threat, Kuat security might relax more. It might be easier to get up to the shipyards and plant the trap because they wouldn't be looking for it, rather than being on high security and looking in the wrong place.

It could finish everything he set out to do here all in one neat package. Maybe the Partisans would even be martyrs.

A pair of scared faces, pale in the dim light of the smoke and dust in the market, poked up from the other side of a serving counter. They gasped in surprise and ducked back down just as quickly. No, this was the fear they caused. The Partisans didn't deserve martyrdom, did they?

Hask practically felt himself harder in the wake of the blast. The thick odor of the smoke remained on his clothes as a constant reminder and a trigger of memories. That was what it was to live in Prosperity City. To risk being thrown into smoke and ash just by being on city streets.

As they came to a junction, Hask paused, holding his fist up in the air to stop the squad behind him. The hair on his neck stood up and his soldier's instinct started to kick in as he saw each corner, box, and object as potential cover. Sightlines were obscured. This was a death trap waiting to happen.

Just as he couldn't hesitate on the Partisans because they were supposedly allied, they would hesitate on him either. There would be no warning at all.

Making a motion with his hand, he pointed the squad toward the other side, sweeping out into the pathway junction to spread out and have as much visibility as they could. And Hask, he slipped down a nearby alley to flush out anyone, successfully separating himself from the group. It was somewhat of a relief. Maybe that wouldn't force the conflict so quickly.

As soon as the squad moved out and Gideon started down the alley, he heard a scuffle. Then a flash of color out of the corner of his eye.

Something dashed between covers, stirring up dust as it went. His finger immediately went to the trigger, but he didn't fire. His instinct said hold off; not yet. If any of the Partisans were cornered, they would see a uniform before they saw his face. But, he couldn't leave it either.

Gideon inched closer, ready to fire as soon as he saw that it was a threat, but as he came around the side of the waste containers, the target moved again, trying to hide behind anything available. It was a boy, cowering behind an overflowing waste container and using his arms to shield his face.

The air wasn't warm, but a cold sweat broke out over Gideon's face and neck, and as a breeze brushed by, it chilled him even further. He didn't lower his blaster but he took his finger off of the trigger.

Slowly, the boy looked up toward him, lowering his arms to see over them. He had sandy hair and clothes that had been clean until he slid around in the dirt trying to hide. His eyes were bright, but it wasn't curiosity. Gideon had faced many different situations working for Versio and the Rebellion; he had never seen someone look up at him with such fear. In the eyes of the boy, Imperial troops should be the saviors, not the enemy.

He lowered his blaster slowly, his heart beating even faster. In his mind, Gideon saw an equally scared boy clinging to his mother's side in a bombed out transport plaza, standing down stormtroopers who should have been on their side. But weren't.

What kind of world was this boy growing up in and how would he turn out because of it? How much was Gideon Hask himself contributing?

He swallowed down the thoughts, forcing himself back into the moment, and he held his other hand out. "Come on. Come on out of there," he said. "You're safe here."

The boy uncurled slowly, his shoulders relaxing down from protecting his neck and he started to reach out for Gideon's hand.

Then there was a gruff, mechanical voice behind him. "Commander."

As soon as the trust had started, it was ripped away and the boy recoiled back. Gideon's hand tightened over the handle of his blaster as he turned back to the stormtrooper behind him. The squad must have sent him to come look, despite the fact that Gideon did not need the assistance.

He didn't have time to linger though. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

The trooper stood fast until Gideon started to move, and by the time he turned back, the boy was gone. Gideon's face hardened and he didn't wait for the trooper's response.

"We've cleared the path and preparing to meet you at the end of the alley," the trooper reported just as quickly.

Of course they had. Gideon tried to shake the image of the boy as quickly as they moved through the alley, bringing his blaster back to ready and becoming the soldier, but as much as he wanted his head was still back there in memory. The sense of it was so strong that he could smell the smoke of the travel plaza again. He wasn't sure if the sound of blaster fire and shouting was actually there in the marketplace, or there in his memory, but it came up so suddenly that it made him pause at the mouth of the alleyway.

He could feel the trooper behind him, moving closer for cover. Taking a deep breath, Gideon tried to clear his head further, and then he moved out again.

There was movement again and he tracked it with his blaster, dashing across to the next wall and then around the next corner until he came face to face with Iden Versio.

\--

Gideon knew the moment lasted no longer than a handful of seconds, but even so both of them had blasters leveled. Both of them had their fingers poised on the trigger and ready to squeeze and end the situation right there.

Iden's eyes were wide and her other hand at her side, trusting her entire life to one blaster held out at arm's length. He could see the sweat on her upper lip too, and the pulse thrumming at the veins on her neck. She could have ended him right there with a single shot.

He could have too. The air felt so thick that Gideon swore that time actually slowed down and he could feel the ground tremble with the footsteps of the stormtrooper behind him. Both of them _should_ have fired at each other. They were enemies.

This was the admiral's daughter; the only family of the man that Gideon had served with for most of his life. She was a traitor, a Partisan, a rebel. She was just as scared, focused, and fighting for her life as he was.

He thought about the boy and the Partisans. About Kuat and its turbulent past. Was turning on this shaky alliance with the Partisans worth it? Or would Iden make him pay instead. They were far enough from the fighting; maybe that was why she was even there.

Hask took his finger off of the trigger.

The world came back into motion and the stormtrooper slid in beside him, only to be suddenly gunned down in a blast of light. Gideon flinched, pulling away to the side until the trooper fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Wounded; not dead.

The next second moved much quicker--he kicked the trooper's head, leaving him unconscious on the ground. Then he faced Iden and lowered his blaster.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" she demanded.

Gideon stepped over the stormtrooper on the ground. "What are _you_ doing out here?" he echoed.

Iden let out a breath and lowered her weapon too. "For kriff's sake, Hask.."

"This is very wrong," he said. "We've only got a second before the rest of the squad comes along. Why aren't you with the rest of them; why didn't you get out?"

"We got separated," she snapped. "The bombs went off prematurely!"

Gideon narrowed his eyes. "And how the hell did that happened; your lot has been building bombs like these for years!"

"Shab still happens, Hask," Iden growled at the accusation.

He opened his mouth to say something; they were wasting time though. Figuring out what went wrong had to wait until later before they were forced into a situation they didn't want.

Before he could say anything, Iden held up a hand. Gideon heard it too. The movement of armor and pounding footsteps. The sweep squad was getting closer. "We need to move," she said quickly.

Nodding in agreement, he took a step and paused as a seeker droid hovered through the pathway behind her. Kriff. Del.

"Where are the others?"

Iden frowned, looking out around the corner cautiously. "I don't know, I haven't found them yet. Namren was on the other side of the market by the garrison. There will be no getting there now."

"Split up. Del is around here somewhere; I just saw Dio."

She looked back at him sharply. "Then I'm coming with you."

"No, go. Get out of here." He almost said because of Versio. Who was he sparing the heartache? Iden or the admiral? "Just go, Iden."

With a hardened look, she obeyed, running off down another corridor. Gideon chased after Dio. The droid should be with him and if it wasn't, that would mean something was wrong.

\--

Tanus had never seen anyone use a staff quite like that. There were two stormtroopers on the ground; alive but still reeling from the attack. But, two stormtroopers wasn't enough.

Despite Del's skill with the staff and Tanus' desperate attempt to punch a stormtrooper's helmet, it wasn't enough. Quarters weren't close enough for hand-to-hand combat. There were too many troopers and too spread out over the corner of the market. Instead, they walked right into the situation.

To further complicate things, they were alive. As soon as they knew that they were not going to win this fight or be able to run from it, Tanus had been prepared to die. He wasn't prepared for the trooper to grab him and kick his legs out until he fell to his knees. There were fates worse than death in the Empire; this was one of them.

"Don't give them an inch." One of the stormtroopers looked down at them. "We're not moving until I call this in and get backup."

As he stepped away, two other troopers closed in. Tanus looked up at them from sitting on his knees, then he looked over toward Del. The boy had never been detained before. Partisans didn't get detained; they were sacrificed.

But, Del. He sat comfortably on his knees, resting gently as if he was meditating and focused somewhere else despite the binders on his wrists and the bleeding cut on the side of his forehead where the trooper had hit him to take him down. Just like Tanus had seen him do that morning with Iden. If Del wasn't afraid, then why was he?

Tanus wrestled with his binders carefully and then risked leaning closer. "Tell me you have a plan."

One of the troopers pushed him away. "No talking."

Del smiled just slightly. He did have a plan. "And all is as the Force wills it. I fear nothing. For the Force is with me," he said softly.

" _What_ did you just say, Rebel scum?" Moving closer, the second trooper pushed Del's shoulder with his blaster.

The corner of Tanus' mouth quirked up too. "The Force is with us. We're not afraid."

"Kid, you know what happens to anyone trying to be a _Jedi_?" the trooper demanded. "You'll wish you were dead!"

Breathing out of his nose, Tanus relaxed his shoulders. No, this was the way it should be. He had to take confidence that it would be okay. But, no sooner had he relaxed that he saw Del's back straighten and his attention drawn elsewhere; he recognized something.

"Stand down." Gideon Hask walked out from the joining street, parting the gathered squad members who quickly came to attention for him. Ignoring them, he headed straight for the two prisoners and looked down at both of them with disgust. "I've orders from Admiral Versio," he said. "I'm taking over here. This squad is rerouted to the pipes quadrant."

The sergeant had stepped away to comm in to command, but he came back quickly at Gideon's presence. "Sir?"

Hask lifted his chin and looked down at him with a disapproving frown. "Get moving, Sergeant."

Snapping a smart salute, the sergeant turned on his heel. "Yes, sir." He motioned to the rest of the squad. "You heard the commander. Move out, troopers!"

Tanus whipped his head around to watch the pounding of boots on the ground as the squad quickly disappeared down the path and the dust settled again. Then Del laughed softly, dropping his shoulders.

"Oh, Dio found you."

Moving around behind both of them, Gideon took off Tanus' binders and then Del's. "I wasn't sure it was the right droid but I was trying to get ahead of the sweeper squads if I could."

"Wait.." Tanus shook his wrists out to get the blood flowing again. "You mean this wasn't the Force calling or bringing us together, or something?"

Gideon paused, knitting his brow together. "Del, what have you been filling this kid's head with?"

"The truth," Del said simply. "Just because I sent Dio out to find somebody doesn't mean that it wasn't the will of the Force."

Gideon looked notably unimpressed. "Sure, Del."

As if on cue, the droid in question sped out of a corner and clipped back onto Del's back, whirling at him softly. Del smiled a little at Dio's return but then looked to Gideon. "Now what? We're not going to have long until we've got company again."

It was true, they wouldn’t. Gideon risked a look around before he grabbed Del’s arm. This was serious. “We have a problem,” he said. “They’re building on the ring. New ships; dreadnaughts, at least a dozen, maybe more. Pahl is protecting them.”

Del’s smile fell away quickly and was replaced by a sudden feeling of dread. “Dreadnaughts. Planet sieges?”

Gideon nodded. “There isn’t much time. We need to hit as soon as possible. Tomorrow, Del. You tell Danic.”

That was what Gideon was trying to tell him earlier, when Iden interrupted. They couldn’t risk letting those ships get out. With the destruction of the Death Star, it only heralded a new, ruthless reign of revenge. The Empire would only continue to grow stronger until they were stopped, Del thought, and the best way to stop them was to never let them start.

"I ran into Iden. She's safe," Gideon said. "She'll meet you on the eastern paths. You'd better get moving."

Not one to question the freedom at all, Tanus dusted off his knees and looked toward the east, expecting Del to follow, but he stopped mid-step as he realized that the man hadn't. Del looked confused even. There was no joke or lighthearted reply.

"No-.. if we leave you here; you've let us escape," Del stressed. "You're coming with us, right?"

Gideon pressed his lips together. "Del, there's no time. Just go."

Del let out a frustrated breath. "I'm sure as hell not leaving you here, Gid. We still have a mission. You'll have to come with us."

"I can't." Gideon's face was hard, somewhat unreadable. Serious. A soldier's resolve. "Get out of here before I shoot at you myself."

Inching closer, Tanus looked between the two of them carefully. It was the same outsider feeling of watching Julen and Danic or Iden fight. Tanus shouldn't be watching this. It wasn't nearly as heated, but he could see the conflict on Del's face and the unflinching resolve on Gideon's. Tanus barely knew the man and all the same he didn't want to leave him here to face the consequences of the Empire.

"This isn't part of _your_ plan," Del insisted. "You don't get to make the decision to be a martyr. You know what they'll do when they find you!"

"And I'll figure it out," Gideon snapped back at him. "I'm telling you to kriffing go. That's an order."

Del wasn't going to win. He took a step back. "You want me to at least hit you and give you an excuse?"

"For kriff's sake, Del.." Gideon stepped away, turning to the side, but looking back at him. "Just _go_. Don't worry about me. You two getting out of here is far more important!"

Looking down, and then back at Gideon, Del reached out and clasped his shoulder. Then he turned away and motioned to Tanus. "Let's find Iden."

Tanus didn't question it. There wasn't any more time. But he jogged to keep up with Del's long strides, risking a look back at Gideon before they disappeared. "He'll be okay, right? I mean he's one of them."

Del didn't smile, but stayed focus ahead of them. "I don't know."

\--

_Stormtrooper armor rattled as they walked. Particularly when it was ill-fitting. Gideon took an odd step, trying to shake one of his leg out and readjust his armor while no one was looking, but Del looked back at him._

_"Really?"_

_"We have got to get better uniforms next time," Gideon grumbled._

_Del looked ahead of them and then over to the right and left, clearing the path from any watching eyes. "We didn't have a lot of variety."_

_"You're not crammed into this thing," Gideon said. "It's pinching in the worst places."_

_He could hear Del smiling back at him in amusement just by the tone of his voice. "It's not my fault you're a giant."_

_"It's not_ my _fault either." Gideon sighed audibly. "Let's just finish this so we can get back before they notice I'm gone."_

_Their window was small to get in and out, but at least the helmets of stormtrooper armor gave them plenty of cover where they wouldn't be recognized. Unless someone noticed that they were both taller than the average trooper._

_The Coruscant base was well guarded and populated, but they could walk around easily for several meters without running into anyone. Patrols passed by without another one for a long while. Del and Gideon looked like another patrol roaming around their area._

_Gideon spotted their target area. It shouldn't be difficult to slip in and out, but he didn't want to spend any more time than they had to there--he picked up his pace all the same. "Just watch the door while--.." He turned his head to look at Del and found him several steps behind him, paused in motion. "Del?"_

_He didn't respond. Gideon immediately put his hand on his blaster, racing through several scenarios, but before he could ask, Del reached up and ripped his helmet off, gasping for air as if he couldn't breathe._

_"Kriff--Del!" Letting go of the blaster, Gideon grabbed his partner instead; just in time as Del took an unsteady step and nearly collapsed into him. "What is it--what's wrong?"_

_Del gripped Gideon's arm hard even through the armor and tried to get his legs under him but his knees were weak. The blood had drained from his face. "Something's--.. something's wrong," he gasped._

_Gideon knew better than to ignore Del's senses, but this...this was entirely new. As concerned as he was, they were sitting gerns and were only moments away from being spotted._

_"You need to walk," Gideon hissed, trying to hoist Del's arm around his shoulders. "Get your kriffing legs under you." He'd drag Del if he had to just to get him out of the line of sight._

_There was an open hanger door not far away. Gideon could feel Del trying to move but mostly he was dead weight. There would be another patrol coming any moment. He pushed harder to drag him around the corner of the doors and push him to sit on a box. No sooner had they gotten out of sight then Gideon heard the footsteps of a patrol coming._

_Taking his helmet off, Gideon edged closer to the door to see which way the patrol would go. Did they see them--were they followed? He risked a glance back to Del. With his brow knit in concern, Del looked back at him. Gideon nodded to him and placed his hand on his blaster again, quietly drawing it out of its holster. Then he held his breath._

_The patrol paused nearby, chattering back and forth. Then they moved on, walking past the door without turning back. Gideon breathed out. It could have gone bad in an instant. It didn't; they were still here and under cover._

_He turned back to Del, crouching in front of him. That was when the shaking began. First Del's hands and then his arms, and whole body. He was breathing long and regulated, trying to isolate and shake the feeling. The anxiety of seeing Meeko like that twisted Gideon's stomach. Never mind that a patrol could catch them and blow up everything. Something was wrong with his friend._

_"Del," he said. "What is this?"_

_Closing his eyes, Del breathed in and out again, and managed to still the shaking for a short time. Then it just came back again. "This is--this is nightmares," Del said, struggling to keep his voice even and calm. "It's normally only nightmares."_

_It was hard to stay patient knowing that anyone could walk in on them at any time, but Del couldn't be rushed. Gideon had to remain steady himself. "What is? What's going on?"_

_Del swallowed and then opened his eyes, looking back at him. The Force guided them and Del faced whatever the galaxy threw at them with no fear, except now. Now it was all fear, and pain. "Something terrible has happened."_

_"Terrible? Terrible like what. What are you sensing?" Gideon pressed._

_He chewed the inside of his lip. "Something--it's been like this before, but not for a long time." Del paused to breathe. "It's death. It’s fear and death. Terrible, horrific death."_

_A cold chill crossed Gideon's spine, running all the way up to his neck. He felt the hair raise up on his arms. "Our base?"_

_Del shook his head. "Hundreds of thousands. Millions." His voice broke under the effort. "Millions of people died."_

_Slowly, Gideon got to his feet. He looked away, giving Del a moment that he wasn't under such close scrutiny. He couldn't imagine what that felt like. Certainly, Del's senses--this Force thing--it caused feelings. But it had never knocked him off of his feet before. Perhaps it was a miracle that he was even able to sit here and tell him._

_Gideon reached over and squeezed Del's shoulder a moment before the comm in his helmet crackled to life. And along with it, the footsteps of another patrol. Yanking his helmet off, Gideon quickly inactivated the comm and held his breath. The patrol stopped just outside the doors._

_“Hey, you hear that!” One of the troopers hit the other’s chest. “The Death Star! It just destroyed a whole planet! Gone; in a second!”_

_“Frell, that thing is powerful,” the other one said. “Those Rebel dogs can take it!”_

_“Alderaan. Peace-loving my arse. It’s a kriffing Rebel breeding ground.”_

_They lingered for a moment and then started to walk away. Gideon heard his heart pounding in his ears, and the shock that an entire planet… He looked down at Del._

_Del just closed his eyes. "Life into the Force; one moment to the next. Forever and forever," he whispered. “Forever, and forever.”_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing to muddy the waters and deal with the aftermath of the market chaos :) :) :) :) Thanks for sticking with me through the lulls of a busy holiday season (and happy holidays!)

Chapter 10

Light was just beginning to wake up Prosperity City but the veil of clouds left it still feeling dark, with a cold fog clinging to the city like a memory of the smoke from the market the previous day. It suited Pahl's mood at being summoned so early though. She appeared as though she hadn't lost a step in being dragged out of bed early; contrast to Lieutenant Cadren who barely sat down at his desk with his morning cup of caf looking like he hadn't slept at all. As she thundered past, he barely had a chance to jump to his feet.

"Admiral Versio," Pahl said, coming to sharp attention in front of his desk.

She was certain Versio didn't sleep. Or she would have been if she didn't actually wake him up one night. Regardless, he was waiting for her, looking up with his hands folded over his clean desk.

"Gideon Hask has been arrested for treason," he said plainly.

Any words died in her throat. Pahl felt the world pulled out from underneath her and the cold grip of shock. How long ago had she talked to Hask?

Tightening her jaw, she thought she shouldn't be so shocked. Nobody should be; not with Hask. If anyone was going to turn traitor, of course it would be him.

"Today?" she asked, finding her words again.

"Yesterday," he replied. "The market attack."

Pahl dropped her chin toward her chest, breathing through the tingling sensations of shock and anxiety across her skin. So many thoughts raced through her mind that it was hard to concentrate on Versio's words. When was the last time she talked to Hask? What did they talk about?

"He was responsible?" she asked.

Versio maintained his focus on her, and he hummed in response to her question. It made her feel vulnerable. All of her reactions were being judged. "That hasn't been determined."

At lightning speed, she tried to analyze every conversation she'd had with Hask on Kuat. Were there any hints that this was going to happen? Should she have picked up on it?

She tried to remember everything she told him; everything he told her. How much trust had passed between them. Or--the tingling sensation of adrenaline rushed back--was this a test? But, a test of whose loyalty? Hers, or Gideon's.

"You and Commander Hask go back a long time, Captain Pahl," Versio said, filling the silence. She looked to him sharply, startled out of her moment of analysis. "From Kuat, to the Imperial Academy. Your first posting was together, was it not?"

"Yes sir." Pahl maintained an even voice and posture, actively fighting the fire she felt building up toward her face that would betray her internal turbulence. "The Mandate."

"Yes, the Mandate. Under Captain Dallian." Versio leaned back in his chair. "Dallian ran a tight ship. You and Hask were a particularly effective team for that star destroyer. Yet Hask received the Crimson Star and you received a simple commendation."

She remembered it well. They both participated in the mission causing an effective amount of casualties among the resistance. Pahl remembered feeling jealous, but it didn't last long. Hask outranked her. He led the assault. Could a traitor really have killed that many Rebels the way he did and still be a traitor?

"Yes, sir. It was Hask's mission and his plan," she replied.

"Indeed." He was gaging her reaction; she could see it on his face. The way that he was watching her every move.

For all of the apprehension Pahl did have, she wouldn't let him see it. She stood solid and tall, without moving a muscle. She wouldn't give him any evidence that she was involved.

Unless, of course, he already had it. "You, of course, maintained this close relationship. Yet, Captain Pahl, you were the one to report Iden with the Partisans when Hask didn't."

Each new point that Versio brought up was like an electric shock running up her spine. Dammit, Gideon. Why did he have to do this? Why couldn't he have just fallen in line like he had done for so long. Pahl had never even heard him question that could even remotely be considered treason; he didn't speak of it, didn't show the warning signs. Yet still as soon as she was told, she didn't even question it because it _had_ to be in his nature.

Pahl's fluttering anxiety suddenly slammed shut like a rusted gate, locking itself in place. Her mind cleared itself, and she regarded Versio with more focus.

She shouldn't assume without seeing the proof. She shouldn't lump herself in with guilt just because she had been summoned when she'd done nothing wrong. All of this could be a test; of her, of Hask. Versio was so fond of his tests.

"It was my duty to report that to you," she replied. "In the service of the Empire."

Whether or not Versio noted that specific change, it was unclear. He did pause though, regarding her with interest. "Indeed it was. We depend on our soldiers--on all citizens--to report that which could be detrimental. Not to hold back based on relationships. Especially for our officers."

It was something Pahl and Hask were both familiar with from the Academy. Trust no one. Officers are not friends, they are colleagues. Surely, Pahl hadn't expected simply telling Versio about a small detail to have Hask accused of treason.

"I assume that Hask told you about this," Versio said. "You knew it would not be on his report."

The alarm bells of guilt throbbed along the side of her neck again but she ignored it. She had done the right thing. She would do the right thing now, and she would pass the test.

"I prefer not to divulge my source, sir," she replied.

Versio tensed the skin at the corner of his eyes. Perhaps the wrong answer. Pahl considered again Hask's accusation of treason. On what grounds? How bad was it? She had trusted him, she thought, and he had trusted her. What if she should still be trusting him?

"I don't care what you prefer, Captain," Versio said slowly. "Please tell me."

She licked her lips, finding them dry. "I cannot, sir."

"Then perhaps you will tell me something else." He placed his hands flat on the desk and pushed himself up, standing in front of her. Then he walked around closer to her, regarding her with much closer scrutiny. "Commander Hask was aware of our new fleet of dreadnaughts and their purpose. He did not receive that brief from me."

Pahl tightened her jaw. Pass the test and make the right answer. If she stood up for Gideon, if she believed he was innocent until she really saw the proof, maybe she could use that. It wasn't often that one found Gideon Hask in their debt.

"I have no information to comment on, Admiral," she said.

He waited a beat longer, letting the silence settle uncomfortably between them, and never took his eyes off of hers. He was waiting for her to cave under the heat of his gaze. Pahl thought confidently she had faced far more intimidating enemies than him.

Versio clasped his hands behind his back. "Captain Pahl, you have had quite a career, and much of it alongside or perhaps in the shadow of Commander Hask. You still have a bright future in front of you where you are the one to shine," he said. "That future belongs to _you_ , and you are the only one to make it happen. Loyalty is not worth your future."

He took a step back. "His career is not worth yours."

Her hands felt sweaty. The room felt like it was moving around her. It was yet to be seen if she had passed the test or not, but she had to stick with her answer. She had picked Hask on a gamble that he was not a traitor over Versio.

"I have nothing more to add, Admiral," she said calmly.

As quickly as it had come on, Versio wasted no time in waving a hand at her. "Then you are dismissed. I may require you at the security facility to talk to Hask later."

Pahl saluted him, turned on her heel, and walked out, ignoring Cadren a second time. She didn't hear any sound, actually, except for the thrumming of her heart in her ears. Kriff, Gideon, what _had_ you done. And what had she done?

\--

_"You've got the wrong--... it's not me!"_

_Lieutenant Enras wasn't cleared for the communication room; his specialty was navigation and star-charting. As soon as his ID flagged entering the room, Hask set the security force on him and effectively cornered the lieutenant in the room._

_"Then explain why you're here?" Hask demanded._

_Not being in her armor made Pahl feel exposed and vulnerable, but it didn't faze Hask as he stood in front of the security troopers, hand on his sidearm and watching Enras like a hawk. Not that the lieutenant was armed, or really trained for that kind of thing. What would he do, throw a chart at them?_

_Enras looked between both Pahl and Hask. He rapid licked his lips, with his mouth gone dry. "I was called here--I haven't used this equipment in months."_

_"Alright, enough." Pahl held her hand out to one of the troopers to obtain a pair of binders. "We'll go over all of this in interrogation."_

_It was new ground for her. Tracking down a data leak. It made sense somehow that it was a back-office paper-pusher like Enras. No one would even question it. She started to approach him with the binders in hand, but Hask held up his hand to stop her._

_"No, we'll do this here." Instead, he grabbed Enras by his jacket and shoved him against one of the consoles, starting to search his pockets._

_"What the k-.. What are you doing!" Enras struggled against his grip, but as soon as Hask pushed his arm hard against the back of his neck, he stopped. "I was_ called _here! I didn't do anything!"_

_Pahl narrowed her eyes. Hask had asked her to help him with this. He needed a fresh pair of eyes, he said. She had been able to point out anomalies, but really Hask did the work. This wasn't her territory; it was his._

_Maybe too much. "Gid," she said sharply. "That's enough. We're bringing him in, right?"_

_"We're bringing in evidence," Hask replied. He pushed Enras again and shoved his hand into one of his pockets, pulling out a data chip. A couple of the troops behind them shifted on their feet._

_Enras blinked and looked at the data chip in alarm as Hask shoved it in his face. "If you're innocent, then what is this?"_

_"I've never seen that before! It's not mine, I swear!"_

_"That's what they all say," Hask said, turning him back around and taking a step back. "Do you know how many Imperial soldiers died because of this information?"_

_"Hask!" Pahl snapped. "That's enough! We're taking him back. He's one of us."_

_Hask drew his blaster. None of the security troopers moved. "Traitors aren't one of us."_

_\--_

_A day before, Versio tapped his datapad against his desk. "You were at the Academy at the same time as Enras, were you not?"_

_Hask had read through the man's file. Enras was two years behind him, but he remembered the man's name. He remembered meeting him a handful of times. That made them peers. It always got strange hunting down peers, but they were also trained to ignore that. Sometimes it was easier than others._

_"I recognize his name," Hask said. "We were in different programs."_

_"Of course. Non-combative," Versio said. "This won't be an issue?"_

_From what he remembered of Enras, he seemed a decent man. Polite; nice enough. He had a family with an 8-year-old daughter. But, he could already tell that Versio was out for blood. Whatever this man was accused of doing, it must be serious._

_"Sir, what are you asking me to do?" Gideon asked him._

_"Enras' base has been attributed to a leak of troop movement data that caused the Imperial offensive on Permir to be overrun," Versio said. "I expect you to deal with this. Take security back-up as needed. A show of force is authorized."_

_If Hask knew anything about the leak, he certainly didn't betray it. He breathed out slowly through his nose, like an animal smelling blood and preparing for the hunt. "Over fifty troopers died on Permir. And Enras is responsible?"_

_Versio lifted his chin. "Enras is a_ traitor _, Hask. I am asking you to do what's necessary to protect the Empire."_

_Hask clenched his jaw, feeling the muscles in his face tense. "There is proof in his involvement? He's hardly the type; family, clean record. If I arrest him--..."_

_It was as if Versio took personal offense to the question. He narrowed his eyes as he regarded Hask, but then he leaned back in his chair--still with a straight back; always the soldier._

_"There will be proof," he said. "I am telling you that Enras is responsible." Then he let out a breath, but his tone was no less serious. "I want you to understand something, Hask. Do not throw away your career on behalf of someone else. If you expect to go anywhere, you must make the right call no matter the consequences to someone else because they are irrelevant."_

_"Enras will fall for this. If you try to stop it, you will fall with him." Versio raised a pointed eyebrow. "Given the nature of this situation, no one will hesitate to convict you by name alone; you know that."_

_Hask found the rest of his muscles tensing whether he wanted them to or not. His hands were balled into tight fists behind his back, digging his fingers into his palms with enough force to make red marks. He certainly knew. It didn't take any more for Versio's point to come across._

_"Yes, sir," Hask replied. "I will take care of it."_

_"And another thing." Versio pushed a data chip across his desk at him. "Enras is not to be arrested. Deal with the situation there."_

_\--_

_"Hask, what the hell are you doing?" Pahl demanded. She whipped her head back to look at the security troopers. Surely, they would stop this. Enras was accused but they had come here to arrest him. Not to..._

_Enras looked up at Hask in alarm, struggling to swallow with his throat being so dry. "I'm.. I'm not a traitor!" he spat out. "_ You're _a traitor! I've never seen that data chip in my life--you must have had it!"_

_It didn't need to go on any longer. Hask was an unpleasant mix of pent-up rage and annoyance that the situation was going on as long as it was; most of which was stirred up by Versio. He shot Enras cleanly in the head, not lowering his blaster until the body hit the ground with a thud._

_Pahl seen Hask's rage unleashed on insurgent forces before; the Crimson Star medal was proof that it existed. But, there had been something else about this. She took a step back._

_"Hask," she said in a hard tone. "What the fuck is wrong with you."_

_By the time he turned back to face her, the shadow seemed to be gone. He holstered his weapon. "Lieutenant Enras--the traitor to the Empire--was resisting arrest. He was found guilty of his crimes here." Looking around her, he pointed his cold focus on the security troopers. "Am I correct?"_

_The sergeant stiffened to attention. "Sir, yes sir."_

_Pahl was a field officer. She belonged in the heat of combat. It was becoming more and more clear that this was not her territory. It also was becoming more clear that this wasn't the Gideon Hask she thought she knew; the one who stood up to help Imperial citizens and strike down their enemy. Not strike down their own._

_"And who made you executioner too?" she asked, daring to be the only one who questioned him._

_He outranked her. She saw the flash of anger return, thinking he would slap her down for questioning him in front of the security squad, but he didn't. He would have been in his right to do so. Instead, he did what she also expected from him and he tolerated it because she was a friend. So what about Enras?_

_"If we had taken him back, what then? He could have easily accused you, accused me," Hask said. "And then it would be our words and our records. Is that enough to stand on when it comes to treason?"_

_Pahl dropped her eyes. If Hask was formally accused, no one would question it and he would be immediately convicted. Maybe that was why he was the best one for the job. Taking out traitors. Certainly no one else would hunt them down with such vigor._

_"My record is good enough," she said. "My name is good enough. And I'd stand for you."_

_Hask quirked the corner of his mouth, almost smiling. "That's why you're here; because I trust you."_

\--

Danic was chewing on his thumbnail when they came in and he jumped to his feet as soon as he saw them. "Where the hell have you three been?"

"We couldn't come straight back--the city is crawling with troopers," Iden replied in an even tone. She also wasn't having his attitude or letting it slip by her. As the three of them walked in, Iden was at the forefront and she walked straight up to Danic. "You didn't want us to lead them back here, did you?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," Julen growled.

Despite the perceived safety of the hanger, Tanus lingered close. Del also noticed the distinct lack of presence--Namren. It already made the atmosphere heavy.

Danic lowered his chin some, guarding himself and lowering his horns. A zabrak defense move perhaps, Del considered. "I expected you to be good enough to get here sooner," he snapped. "Besides, you have the droid."

Iden folded her arms, determined to stand her ground. "We ran into trouble. And you didn't?"

The mood of the hanger lowered even further and Del felt as though fog descended over them as Danic lowered his eyes. "Namren is gone. She didn't even make it away from her charge when the blasts went off."

"Kriff." Iden looked around for the first time, noting her absence. Then she looked back at Del and Tanus. Perhaps part of her wanted to reach for the boy. Del swore he saw her hand move in his direction. She didn't though; she maintained being the soldier.

Instead, she let out a breath. "Danic.."

"Don't. This is our reality," Danic said shortly. Moving out from in front of Iden, he addressed Del instead. "This is the cost of this _mission_."

Del lowered his chin toward his chest, breathing in the cold air of the hanger. "Her loss is felt greatly," he said. "But you yourselves were prepared to give your lives for your cause."

"This isn't our cause," Danic snapped.

"It should be," Tanus said. "We should be doing what's right, shouldn't we? Not just blindly fighting. /This/ is the right thing to do."

His declaration drew Julen's eyes from where she was leaning against the side of the ship, trying to seem uninterested. Danic folded his arms in turn, sharing a glance with her, but Julen shrugged a shoulder and nodded. So, Danic listened.

"Maybe it is the right thing to do," Danic replied. "But, where's the proof? How do we know we are even making a difference? This whole 'practice mission' went to shab so quickly."

"I noticed it was the Imperial Princess' charge that went off first," Julen said in a low tone.

Danic pointed an accusing finger at her. "Stop it. The charges went off. And where the hell was Hask?"

That was a good question. The first mission: recon; the second: trial run; the third: the real run. As they all looked around at each other, with Namren gone, there was the defeating feeling of failure. The bombs that should have been a distraction went off early. Hask was not in the right place; he never made his trial run to the shipyards.

It put them in a place of unknowing. With no foresight of how everything would go when they did it for real. And now, Del thought, even more urgency.

"He was there in the market," Del said. "Tanus and I tried to get to Iden but we ran into troopers; we were detained."

Tanus nodded in agreement. "Hask was the one who got us out of it. Pulled rank and everything. He didn't just leave us there."

Sighing, Danic didn't look impressed. "That's great. So, he stood up for you, and what was he doing there in the first place?"

"The admiral," Iden said. "Had to be why he was there."

Julen pressed her lips together as if to say what do you know about it, but she also bit her tongue. Either out of restraint or simply not wanting Danic to snap at her again. The thought was there, though, and Iden sense it too as she exchanged a heated glance.

"Well.." Del looked back at Danic. "It was good he was there in the end. He said we need to up the timeline; we need to go tomorrow. They're building a fleet of dreadnaughts. It's maybe a dozen ships." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's the biggest undertaking of ships at once that I've heard of, at least ships of this size."

The fog descended either further. Julen's shoulders dropped and Danic's face hardened. Iden wrapped her arms around herself, looking down toward the ground. They were all too exhausted and worn down to be angry. It was just another weight to lay on top of them.

"We're kriffed.." she breathed out. "There's no way that we'll be able to get it done _tomorrow_ if we have to get Hask out of the detention block. After letting you two go, you know he's been arrested. It's protocol."

"This is only another reason _not_ to give up," Del stressed. "For us, for him. For Namren."

Tanus swallowed carefully. "Ships like these bombed the mines where my family worked. They'll only do this to more planets. More people will die."

One by one, eyes started to drift to Danic. Watching his movements, his expression, and the cold silence that left all of them waiting for leadership. Then, he turned and started to walk away.

Del offered a smile down to Tanus, patting the back of the boy's shoulder in support, and Iden huffed another sigh. But, Danic turned back to look at them, brow creased and the weight of the room visibly carrying on his shoulders.

"Then how are we supposed to get Hask out?"

Julen pushed off of the ship, standing up straighter, and Tanus started to smile easier. Del looked up. "I think I have an idea."

\--

_They cut the mission short and got back to the ship as quickly as they could with a desperate attempt to avoid being detected. All of the Coruscant capital seemed to be celebrating the death of a planet, though, and no one took too much notice of two stormtroopers slipping away._

_Del's hands were still shaking by the time they escaped into hyperspace. Gideon helped him unhook his armor without a word. It scared him; scared them both. He'd never seen Del incapacitated by_ feelings  _alone. A tingle of apprehension or caution that had saved their skins before, yes. But, they had also never face this much loss._

_The safety of hyperspace gave Gideon a chance to call Yavin, though. The two of them went for long periods of time without contacting the Rebellion and getting news from the other side, but this was too big to leave alone. It took the connection a long time to go through and he was juggled to a few different operators in trying to get General Merrick. The Rebellion was scrambling._

_Finally it was a different voice that came over the comm. <Hask. This is Draven.> He paused. <We don't have much time. Merrick is dead.>_

_For being an intelligence officer, Draven did not attempt to smooth his words over. There was no mistaking anything said directly. Gideon felt the blood drain from his face and he reached out to brace his hand against the hull of the ship as he held the comm headphones to his ear. He felt Del look over at him at the thud of his hand hitting the wall._

_"Dead, sir," Gideon said. "Alderaan?"_

_Draven sighed. <At least you've heard about that,> he said. <No. There was an offensive on Scarif.>_

_Gideon remembered the alert that had gone out recently about a security breach on Scarif, but it was quickly buried from anyone not involved. Versio's face had turned stony when he received it, but Gideon was not deployed--it seemed to end as quickly as it started._

_"What the hell is going on, sir?" he asked._

_< You should know more than me, you're there in the heart of the Empire.>_

_The Death Star. He'd seen images of it. They flew past it once. Versio spoke of it a few times, but it didn't seem much of a concern to him. Maybe it should have been. He should have pressed the issue. Kriff, Merrick was dead._

_Gideon rubbed his face. "They announced it over Coruscant; a successful_ test _on Alderaan."_

_< We're looking for a way to destroy it,> Draven said. <We might have a lead. Keep yourselves low. Alderaan was only the last casualty. Before that, Jedha--Jedha city is gone. Like it was never there.>_

_Turning back, he looked at Del briefly and then lowered his gaze as he listened. It would hurt him more to hear that._

_< Then Scarif. It was all hands. We lost a lot; major hit to the fleet.>_

_"And Merrick?" Gideon asked._

_< He was leading the fighter support but they were blocked off by the shield,> Draven said. Gideon had never known Draven to show any kind of feeling, particularly around him, but the man sounded tired. The same way Gideon felt. <They used that bloody weapon on their own planet and blasted their base to hell along with all of our people.>_

_Gideon clenched his hand into a fist. "What do you need from us, sir?"_

_< Right now? Nothing. Unless you can--.. no. Stay low, keep your damn nose clean, and we will contact when we can,> Draven said. <I'm taking this over.>_

_But, they had much bigger concerns. A planet killer to contend with._

_As he ended the transmission, Gideon turned to face Del, folding his arms over his chest. Half of his armor was still on. Del was sitting on another cargo box, looking up at him._

_"Well?"_

_"They're trying to fight it," Gideon said. "It was tested on Jedha first. They're calling it a mining accident--the city is gone. And then Scarif; that was the Rebels. Now, Alderaan."_

_Del closed his eyes and dropped his head, leaning his hands on his knees. "Jedha.. The Kyber Temple."_

_"I'm sorry, Del," Gideon said._

_Both of them stayed still, listening to the hum of hyperdrive engines and the silence of space. The silence of Alderaan. Gideon tried to think about how many people were on that planet--how many_ billions _?_

_How quickly had it happened? Did they even have warning; did they see the weapon coming at them or was the planet suddenly exploding and there was a moment of pure terror and there was nothing anyone could do. There was no running. There was no escape._

_He tried not to think of Jedha, of how a weapon that size would affect a city and surrounding areas. The shockwave would swallow people or even ships whole with no hope of outrunning it._

_His stomach turned over. No warning; just death. That was the power the Empire had now. What would be next._

_Del whispered a prayer. Gideon picked up his stormtrooper helmet as if to put it away, but he suddenly slammed it against the hull of the ship._

_"We should have been there! On Scarif," he shouted. "We should have done something!"_

_"If we had been there, we would have been killed too," Del said. "If the weapon is that powerful, there's no getting away."_

_"Merrick is kriffing dead." Gideon squared his jaw, continuing to grip the helmet. "Billions are dead. How are we even supposed to stop this! There is no way; there is no hope."_

_Del looked up at him, just flicking his eyes in Gideon's direction, but he didn't move. He didn't offer comfort because there wasn't any. Even Del had to know that after all this time._

_Looking down at the helmet, he held it in both hands. "We're to go back, assume normal duties, until called on."_

_"Gideon."_

_"You heard them," he continued. "You heard them celebrating destroying a planet. We can't make them see how wrong this is when they only follow it blindly. This Empire was formed to help and protect people once. How are we supposed to fight against what it's become?"_

_"We can only do what's right." Del rubbed his hand through his hair and sat up straighter. "The Empire makes decisions for them; decides what is right and what's wrong. If you know no other way, how can you ever know the difference?"_

_He'd made a mistake even mentioning it to Del. It was certainly the wrong time to start a philosophical discussion on morals. Gideon rubbed his eyes._

_"You sound like my father," he said, sighing._

_"Well. He stood up for what was right, didn't he?" Del asked. With a note of caution, he pursed his lips. "You don't speak of him much."_

_"No I don't. Look where it got him." Gideon tossed the helmet back into the open locker box and then walked toward the cockpit. They still had a few hours before they got back and had to celebrate the Emperor's new weapon, and they would need every minute of it._

\--

There was a bottle of Alderaan wine sitting on the table in Versio's quarters, mostly empty. He had opened it a few months ago and it remained more than half-finished after the Death Star was destroyed. Tonight, he stood in his robe with a glass in hand, intent on finishing what little was left and watching the sun set over the still smoldering fires of the marketplace below.

As he turned back from the window toward the apartment, there was a shadow in the corner that moved ever so slightly. He wasn't alone. But, Versio wasn't concerned either. He sipped the wine, remembering the first taste of victory that it had given them.

It had been Hask, himself, Balren. It should have been his daughter there with them. But, perhaps it wasn't too late for that.

"There is another glass," he said to the shadow. "You may join me."

The shadow moved again. Iden stepped close enough to let her face be seen by the moonlight, and she folded her arms at him. When was the last time that Versio had even seen her? She looked older.

"I don't have time," she said simply.

He hummed, sipping the wine again, and then looking back to her. "Then what have you brought me?"

Iden echoed his hard face. She looked much like her mother, but her sense of duty.. Versio had seen to that personally.

"Gideon Hask," she said.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into some fun stuff. Some of these sections are ones I've had in my head since the very beginning and I've been really excited to finally get to them. Possibly the first section was the most fun to write. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11

No one had talked to Hask since he had been arrested right there on the street after the Partisans were discovered gone. The garrison needed no other evidence to convict him on the spot. After several hours wait in a holding cell, he knew it was only a matter of time before someone did come to speak with him.

His forced patience was rewarded with Admiral Versio.

Hask made no move to get up from the cell bench and face his commanding officer as the man approached the rayshield, nor did he look up at him beyond a flick of his eyes up to his face and then back down to the admiral's boots. From the preview he did get, Versio looked unimpressed.

The Admiral dragged a chair noisily in front of the rayshield and sat down, bending his head down and breaking some of the rigid posture to try to catch Hask's eyes.

"Hask," he said.

Working his jaw carefully, Hask finally did look up at him. "I expected you earlier, sir."

"Well, you see, my senior investigations officer has gotten himself _arrested_ and that puts me in a difficult spot for information," Versio said in a hard tone. He leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. Without his desk, he almost seemed casual but it was not a word that Hask would ever associate with Versio. "This is damned inconvenient, Hask."

He didn't answer him, dropping his gaze again. Inconvenient. It interrupted Versio's routine, no doubt. Perhaps caused him sleepless hours, working out what to do with tasks he normally would have assigned to Hask. Had someone else been arrested, he would have been called in early or maybe in the middle of the night to start the investigation into it. The Empire had to ensure loyalty.

Versio didn't look angry; he looked tired. The slack in the hardened lines on his face and the way that his brow wasn't knit together told him that he wasn't wrong about the sleeplessness. With nothing else to say, Hask let him make the first move.

"This isn't how you were trained." The admiral sighed. "This isn't how _I_ trained you. This isn't how you were bloody raised, Hask."

His knuckles turned white with the effort of clenching his fists and Hask let his anger build so that it didn't turn into something else. He considered how unexpectedly difficult it had been to reveal the rebel base to perspective allies. Things on this mission were certainly not turning out packed into neat and tidy emotional categories the way that he wanted them.

He could feel Versio watching him and the heaviness of his gaze and judgment. It felt like sitting under a strong heat lamp. Versio finally looked down at his hands as well. It couldn't have been defeat, but it almost felt like it.

"I expected much more from you, Hask," he said at length.

Gideon didn't want to look up and see the disappointment on Versio's face. To have lost a daughter who rebelled for loud reasons and now Hask with all of it under the surface all this time; he couldn't imagine what that felt like, or if Versio even considered that maybe it was him who was on the wrong side. He wouldn't, though. Versio would never question the Empire.

As he shifted his boot to sit forward some, the sound of the scuff echoed through their silence. "Commander." Versio tightened the fine lines around his eyes. "Look at me, Gideon."

Hask swallowed with a dry throat, but he did look up at him and he focused on his anger instead. "I don't have anything to say to you."

And there, Versio had him. "No, I don't believe that for a _second_ ," Versio snapped. "I know you, Hask. I know _you_ like no one else!" He pointed out at the door. "They will execute you without a second thought. I know you. You will tell me what the hell was going on."

He didn't look away but he wanted to; his throat constricted and for kriff's sake...had he made the wrong choice? The impulse of an angry boy impacting the life of a grown and established man. How could he have expected his choice back then, while watching his parents murdered, to be the right one.

There had never been time to mourn them. Gideon had been constantly watched for any sign of divergence, including grief because how could one grieve someone who was supposed to die. So he pushed it down for years. When he arrived on Kuat, he remembered them. When he put his plan into action, he wanted to honor them. When he sat in the holding cell across from the man who had taken him in despite everything that the Empire made him out to be, he grieved.

A good soldier didn't grieve though--they moved on. Gideon blinked rapidly, looking to the side and anywhere but Versio's face. His heart was pounding at the feeling of the weight on his chest because he couldn't be doing this. He couldn't be showing the weakness of the blurry tears in his eyes.

"I uh." He trailed off, his voice sounding unsure of itself, and took a deep breath to push down the emotions that never should have surfaced in the first place. "I wanted to do the right thing. That's all I've ever wanted."

There was no comeback, no reminder that all they should want is the will of the Emperor and the benefit of the Empire. Versio just listened. Perhaps truly, for the first time in their long career together. Then he folded his hands.

"You want to do the right thing, Gideon? Then talk to me."

He thought about Hoth again, about the momentary panic of telling Danic and the Partisans about Hoth. He thought going into it how it would be easy to prove their devotion to the Rebellion. After all, he and Del had been doing this for years. Just as Gideon had been working under Versio for years; under his protection, and his tutelage.

Gideon looked down at his hands and opened them slowly, pushing himself to try to relax. When he was a boy, his father told him he would feel better once the truth was out--that was the rule.

"I'm a rebel spy," he said, at last.

Versio breathed out and leaned forward in his seat, quirking a brow to encourage him to continue. Honestly, what else had he been expecting? Had he just wanted to hear the words come out of Gideon's mouth to make it real?

"How long?" he asked.

"I was 18," Gideon continued. "I wanted revenge, I wanted--..." This time, when he looked up at Versio, he was sure of himself, but the pain wasn't gone. Perhaps once the truth started spilling out, it would all come at once. "I wanted to bring them to you. I wanted to make you proud, sir."

For a moment, he thought Versio might actually say it. Gideon didn't ever think that he'd heard the man say it about anyone, not even his daughter. It was a fleeting look though, just as it had been in the market.

"Yet, you allowed them--helped them even--hurt your own home world," Versio pointed out.

"Yes." Gideon set his jaw with determination. "There is a much bigger prize involved."

It piqued the admiral's interest, but he was careful to keep it guarded. Gideon saw it, though; it was certainly there. When Versio smelled blood in the water, he wouldn't hesitate to sink his teeth in and not let go.

"I wanted to bring that to you. The whole Rebellion," Gideon said. Balling his fist up again, he thought about the absence of praise, and the tests, and the constant reminder of who he was and where he was from.

"I am a loyal soldier!" he shouted at the rayshield and the admiral on the other side. "I am a loyal Imperial; I always have been! You have _no_ idea what it has been like. I wanted to go against all of this, turn on the Empire and fight it, but all of the people who called me a traitor, I couldn't prove them right.

"My parents were never traitors. They never _betrayed_ anybody. The Empire betrayed them. And they never wanted anything for me other than this; to be loyal, strong, and to do the right thing."

Versio lifted his chin, sitting up straighter. In his office and Gideon would have been immediately slapped down for speaking the way he did, but here he was allowed to plead his case. Perhaps for the first time in his life.

Slowly, the admiral was calculating the odds and creating his next move. Did he trust Hask, or did he test him.

He rose to his feet and used his ID card to deactivate the rayshield. Gideon sat up quickly, opening his mouth slightly in astonishment and looking up at Versio as he stepped forward. That was an unexpected move. Gideon's throat threatened to close up again--this was not the test.

"I've always been proud of you, Hask," Versio said, clasping his hands behind his back. "You know this world and this war in a way no one else does and for all of your suffering, it has made you into the powerful soldier that you are."

Versio nodded to him. "I want to know what the Rebels are planning. Tell me everything."

Hask squared his jaw and strengthened his resolve. Then he told everything that he knew.

\--

_"I retrieved the data. I brought back results. What more do you want?"_

_Draven had backed him into a corner. As much as the Empire had pushed Gideon to be a compliant soldier, he also didn't blindly take a beating from a superior when it wasn't warranted. That being said, he never would have dared to use that tone with Admiral Versio. General Draven was another matter._

_"I expected you to do your job, Hask," Draven shot back at him. He didn't even miss a beat. Holding up the datapad with Gideon's mission report on it, Gideon expected him to slam it on the table and break it, but instead Draven only shook it in a vaguely threatening motion. "I wouldn't believe for a second that the Empire would put up with this kind of sloppiness."_

_"The Empire gets results," Gideon stressed. "I have been doing this kind of work for years. It doesn't matter how I get it done, but that it gets done!"_

_"Oh it matters." Draven narrowed his eyes, pointing at Gideon with the corner of the datapad. "The Alliance doesn't have the resources. You left behind equipment. You destroyed potential salvage!"_

_"We barely got out with our lives!"_

_That was why he was not as concerned with Draven. Draven was less concerned about him in return. Versio might stand by his side and support him when it came down to it; Draven wouldn't and that lost Gideon's respect._

_General Merrick leaned against the doorframe of the office, listening but not intervening. Despite reporting to Merrick, it was Draven who conducted the debriefing. Gideon stood his ground. Merrick watched in disapproval, but Gideon had a hard time deciding who received more disapproval--him or Draven._

_Finally Merrick shifted, drawing in a breath and joining the conversation. "Whether or not you almost died is not a measure of success," he said mildly._

_"No, it's not," Gideon said. "But the results are. I got what you wanted."_

_"And lost how many credits worth of equipment along with it?" Draven asked. "Listen, Hask. The Empire might not care because they have the resources to burn. We do not!_

_"Furthermore." As Draven continued, Gideon folded his arms stubbornly over his chest. He felt his face growing hot. He wasn't going to win. "Furthermore," Draven emphasized. "If you get yourself captured or killed, it's a further waste of resources and we gain nothing!"_

_Merrick stood up straighter, stepping in to intervene. "Draven, that's enough."_

_But Gideon seethed. He could feel it happening, but he couldn't stop it as his hands balled tightly into fists and the muscles in his neck started to shake under the tension. "You have no idea what we went through out there and the circumstances around any decision I made!"_

_"I know well enough!" Draven snapped. "I've got agents from one end of this galaxy to the other. You've been with us two years; you can't presume to know--..."_

_"Draven!" Merrick said._

_Gideon lifted his chin up, focusing his anger on Draven instead. All of the frustration of still being in the Empire, still having all of his actions and beliefs questioned. Still having to defend himself to the Rebellion. "I never_ asked _to go back! But you sent me because I know the Empire; because I know what I'm kriffing doing!"_

_Draven finally dropped the datapad. "You're only going to get yourself killed!"_

_Then Merrick stepped between them, holding a hand up to Draven and firmly grabbing Gideon's shoulder. "That's enough! Both of you." Accenting it with a narrow look to Draven, who seemed to back down for the moment, Merrick turned to Gideon and let go of him._

_"Let's go for a walk."_

_\--_

_The walk outside into the damp jungle heat of Yavin did little to cool Gideon down. It was his first time setting foot on the largest Alliance base since becoming active as Merrick's deep cover agent and he couldn't say that he would be sorry to leave. It was a dreadful place with swamps, jungles and humidity. It was supposed to be a safe place with allies, but all he knew was Merrick. That wasn't enough._

_He would, however, listen to Merrick at the least. Gideon placed his hands on the stone of the temple wall, looking out over the vast jungle from the balcony, and Merrick gave him space to breathe._

_"He's not wrong," he said softly._

_Gideon scoffed. "He's very wrong."_

_Moving closer, Merrick leaned against the wall on his side, watching Gideon. Versio would have questioned him from behind a desk. Merrick brought him out here and had a quiet conversation._

_"Well, he is wrong about a few things, but with others he's very right," he replied. "He's not wrong about you being reckless. Or about you getting yourself killed._

_Squaring his jaw, Gideon didn't look at him but focused on the jungle and the flock of birds that drifted up on an afternoon breeze. "I'm not going to get myself killed. Kriffing rubbish."_

_Merrick folded his arms, raising both eyebrows at him. "Listen to me. You went well beyond your mission parameters to bring information that was, yes, needed.”_

_He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a breath. "Please spare me the lecture, sir.."_

_"No, you need to hear it," Merrick said. "You need to hear it because it's not just your life on the line, Gideon. You’ve got Del with you, and there’s the whole Rebellion resting on both of you in plenty of ways."_

_He was well aware of it. Del was a good partner; he did everything that Gideon asked him to do, he was smart and held his own with people. Yet as soon as they landed on Yavin, Del all but disappeared. They would only be there a few days and Del seemed to be friends with everyone. It was too short of a time to not be able to see the people he cared about._

_That left Gideon alone, except for Merrick. As a spy, he knew that he would be alone, even with a partner. Merrick tried to say that they were in this together, but Gideon never spent long enough on a base to get to know anyone. It was just Merrick's voice that he heard on the other end of the comm, asking how the mission went, and how Gideon was doing. 'No, don't give me fine. I know it didn't go fine. How are you really?'_

_Maybe that was why Gideon didn't give a kriff what Draven thought with his concern over equipment damage, but rather what Merrick thought. It worked to quell the fire of anger in him some. He was calmer, but he felt no less turbulent._

_"I told you that I would do anything to hurt the Empire," Gideon said in an even voice. "Meeko wasn't in any danger. It should be my choice."_

_Merrick nodded his head. "And I've told you that you don't have to prove your worth to us--certainly not like that."_

_Gideon clenched his teeth together, flaring the muscles in his jaw as they started to burn from the effort. Maybe that was why Merrick's approval meant so much more, because he took the time to have the conversation. Because, for once, it felt like someone listened._

_"What better way is there?" He looked over at Merrick. "You tell me, sir. Draven doesn't care. I can't imagine any of the other brass knows. I can voice my commitment, but until I show it to you, until I prove it with my actions, it's just words. I didn't come here with words, I came here with actions."_

_"First off, Draven is an arse. We both know that," Merrick replied casually. "Secondly, your actions already speak for you. I see that in what you're doing. I see it in your motivation. But it's coming from the wrong place."_

_Gideon breathed slowly, feeling his chest pushing against the fabric of his uniform, and the ever-present heat and humidity warming the back of his neck until the collar of his shirt was damp. It felt even more stifling to be in the spotlight in front of Merrick's judgement._

_"I asked you this when you first got here, but I'm asking it again. Why are you doing this?" he asked. "What do you believe in, Gideon? Is this really just revenge? Because if it is, you might as well run yourself into a facility and blow it and yourself up. Then the Empire continues on as if nothing happened."_

_It wasn't a conversation that he wanted to have at the moment, especially not after the frustration of Draven. Gideon knew how to handle powerful people, but he hadn’t figured out Merrick. He gave answers that men like Versio and Draven wanted to hear, but Merrick didn’t accept it._

_What if Gideon just didn't know?_

_"I told you when we first met." Gideon folded his arms. "It hasn't changed. I want to hurt the Empire."_

_"That's only revenge," Merrick pointed out. "Nothing more."_

_Raising his eyebrows, Gideon gave him an expectant look. "Then what do you believe in, sir?"_

_Merrick didn't shy away or even pause at the question. He barely had to think about it. He didn't think about what Gideon wanted to hear._

_"I believe that this war is going to end. I believe that all of us are going to have to decide what to do with ourselves when it's over. We don't fight to keep fighting." Merrick shook his head. "We fight to end the conflict and keep living. We fight for our future and for others."_

_It would have been better to fabricate an answer because the truth hit him as though it was made of bricks. It made him stagger._

_His parents told him to live for the future because they couldn't, but his parents also told him to believe in the Empire and how could he believe in the system that took them away from him. How could he believe in a war with no hope; there was no way that the Rebellion could actually win. Not against the Empire._

_Merrick patiently watched the internal crisis, but he didn't push. He just waited until Gideon came up for air; drawing in a sharp breath like he was stirring back to life._

_"Do you think we'll win?" Gideon asked._

_He turned his head for a moment to consider the answer. "I think you know what we're up against more than anyone else," he replied. "But I wouldn't be here if I didn't think that there was a chance. All it takes is that sliver of hope to inspire others."_

_He shrugged his shoulders. "You wouldn't be standing here without the rest of us that form the Alliance."_

_No, Gideon wouldn't be. He would be caught up even further in the hell that was the Empire. It left little room for the future. Gideon shook his head. "You say all of that as if I had a choice in this war. It's all we've ever known. How can we live for a future we've never experienced?"_

_Merrick looked out toward the jungle, watching wisps of clouds, and Gideon suspected he had that answer ready as well. "You're right. You didn't have a choice about the war." He looked down briefly._

_"My generation started it. The Clone Wars, the formation of the Empire and the downfall of the Republic. That was all of us. We started this, and left it as a horrible legacy to you. But that doesn't mean you don't have a choice in what to do with it._

_“Fighting this war because it’s all you know only continues to feed it. It makes the Empire and the Rebellion stronger. You don’t deserve that future. The next generation doesn’t deserve it. They deserve a time where there is no Empire or Rebellion. A time where they get to choose what to do with their lives because they’re not born into conflict. That starts with you.”_

_Merrick gripped his shoulder, willing Gideon to look at him. "You deserve a future without conflict too, Gideon. Take your revenge by making your life yours. It doesn’t belong to the Empire or the Rebellion."_

_It felt like something his father would say. In his heart and memory, Gideon still held onto them, clinging to any details left. He could almost hear it in his father's voice, but it was Merrick staring back at him._

_Swallowing any evidence of the lump trying to form in his throat, Gideon just nodded. He understood. He thought it was a lot harder than Merrick made it sound._

\--

Tanus stood with his hands on his hips, trying not to watch Del tinkering with the bottom hem of his trousers. They were waiting in an alley a few blocks away from the garrison, out of sight of the main roads.

"We could have gotten a better fitting uniform," Iden said, holding her stormtrooper helmet under one arm.

"From who? The other officer we ran into was taller than me." Tanus folded his arms.

Del made a noise of protest, holding a few pins in his teeth. "Stay still, please."

Tanus moved his arms back down at his sides. "Sorry.."

As Del liberated some of the pins, tucking them into the fabric he had folded underneath itself to hold it in place so he could seal it. The sealant was meant for binding components in starship engines, but it dried quickly. "Hopefully no one will look at your pants too closely, but the best I can do."

Out of the three of them, Tanus had been elected to be the officer. It was less likely that the Empire had his face scan on file than it was for Iden and Del. It also meant that the uniforms that they had brought both from the caves of Renmaar and Del's shuttle didn't fit him. With Tanus being significantly shorter than Del, even the officer that they lured in to obtain his passcodes and ID card didn't fit the bill. Some modifications were needed.

Tanus leaned down to try to see what he was doing. "How did you happen to have pins with you?"

Iden tilted her head to the side as she watched him finish one side and move to the other. "You know, Del, if you can sew too you're going to make somebody very happy someday."

"Yeah, probably you," Tanus said quickly. But, with the alarmed look on his face, he immediately regretted it.

"Tanus!" Iden hissed, her face already turning red.

Del lifted his head, looking between them, and he had no response. He _always_ had something to say. The flush of cheeks spoke more than any words either.

As if to the rescue, Dio suddenly hovered between Del and Tanus, popping open a hatch on its head to show a small storage compartment of nuts, bolts, and several pins stuck to a small magnet on the underside of the hatch. Del cleared his throat, standing up. "Oh, Dio says that's where the pins come from."

"Pins," Tanus said awkwardly. "Right, the pins."

Once he was freed to move around, he tugged on some of the uniform, making certain that it was fitting in the right areas. "It feels better."

Del nodded in agreement, risking a glance toward Iden. Both of their faces had returned back to their normal colors, but Iden didn't look any more irritated. They let the comment slide.

"Yes, it looks much better," Del said. "More like it fits you."

Pulling his hat out, Tanus dusted it off and then positioned it on his head, looking to both of them. The officer and his two stormtroopers. "Are we sure this is going to work?" he asked.

"Positive," Iden answered, without hesitation.

\--

_"You're sure this is going to work?" Iden asked._

_Del picked up a stormtrooper helmet and set it aside before diving deeper into the storage locker on the shuttle and emerging with more armor. As he turned around, he held it up to Iden as if sizing her up._

_"Of course it will. We'll slip in and out before they notice." He set it aside and went back for the leg pieces. "Both of us know how to blend in."_

_"Tanus doesn't," she pointed out._

_What was she doing here? It was the second time she had sought Del out on the shuttle alone. He didn't seem averse to seeing her there though. Almost as if he had expected her. Had she become that predictable?_

_Or maybe it was that she just found herself there. She hadn't intended to talk to him after hearing the details of his plan, but the whole thing just--... Del was so determined to get Gideon out. Maybe he just needed to leave it all alone. She had no doubt that Gideon could take care of himself._

_She needed him out of the way anyway. He was a liability._

_"He'll be fine. We're only going to be there a short time anyway," Del assured her._

_"Right." She reached for a helmet that Del had set aside, tipping it upside down to see inside. Familiar workings, the heads-up-display. The mechanics of the Empire. It had been a long time since she had actually worn a helmet._

_She listened to him rustle around for the rest of the equipment for another moment before she spoke again. "I just don't want to lose any more people," she said._

_Del paused with his back to her. "Namren."_

_Eventually, Iden would have to be rid of them all. She tried not to be too sorry that Namren was gone, but the Quarren had been kind to her. She had been kind to everybody._

_But... "Soldiers die in war," Iden said._

_As Del turned back to look at her, she didn't think that she convinced him any more than she convinced herself. Being among the enemy, forming bonds with them--she knew that they weren't friends or allies, but she should be fighting for her own people who died and to save the ones who were left._

_It was very hard to see more than just Del standing in front of her though. If the Partisans had to die, if they had to lead her to bigger targets, maybe she could afford to spare one of them._

_"That doesn't make their sacrifices any less difficult to bear," Del replied._

_Iden looked down, holding the helmet against her side. "We don't have to do this. We could just go."_

_He smiled at her slowly. "Go where? Somewhere the Empire wouldn't find us?"_

_"Maybe." She tried not to think about what her father would say. In general, she tried not to think about what he would say about any of what she did. His viewpoint was straightforward because a soldier couldn't afford compromise and neither could she. Rebels and Partisans could not be redeemed._

_Versio wasn't here though. He didn't know them like she did. "Maybe we've all had enough fighting."_

_"I can't leave Gideon behind. He would come for us too," Del said in a soft tone._

_Iden looked up at him. "I've never known peace, but you showed me what that's like. Maybe that's what I want; maybe it's what we need. If we go in there, they know both of us." She pressed her lips together, but, against her better judgment, allowed herself to say it. She could save one Rebel and it wouldn't bring her father's judgment and wrath upon her. "I don't want anything to happen to you."_

_Del tilted his head a little, considering her words. Dio gave a soft, low whistle in response, watching between them. Maybe the little droid agreed too._

_"I'm not afraid of them, Iden."_

_"You should be," she said. "We all should be."_

_Setting the armor pieces down, he stepped closer to her and started to roll up his sleeve. "I know about the Empire. I've seen what they do and who they are."_

_Holding his arm out to her, he pulled his sleeve up to his elbow on his left arm. There was a brand burned into his skin, half of it she recognized as the symbol of the Empire, but the other half was not a sign that was ever displayed proudly. Children were taught to report it. Adults to arrest it. Soldiers to shoot on sight._

_"Del.." she trailed off. "They already know your_ face _."_

_"You know what this means," he said. "They do. They know me. They know I serve the Force and they hate that because the Force is peace hope. Those are the enemies of the Empire."_

_Iden reached out and placed her hand over the brand. "Del, you can't show this to anyone. Not ever here. You don't know who else is watching."_

_"I'm not afraid!" he repeated. "I've got you." Then he smiled at her, pulling his arm loose from her grip lightly. "I know this isn't any easier for you. The Empire is a lot of things to a lot of people. It was your home once."_

_Slowly, she shook her head. "There are good people there. They're not all bad. They can't be."_

_There, that was the conflict. They weren't bad people, but she considered that if she didn't know Del and if she stayed in the Empire, that when she saw him she would have to turn him in. That one of the fundamental parts that made him Del also made him an enemy of the Empire._

_Part of her hated that they did this to him. What harm did someone like him even pose?_

_She couldn't be dealing with this right now, not before marching into a detention facility, or deciding the end of her mission and uncovering a major Alliance agent with Gideon Hask. Maybe another time, she would have discussed it with him. Maybe she would have let him try to change her mind._

_Instead, she pulled his sleeve down. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_"Because I trust you."_

_"I told you that you shouldn't," she replied._

_Del reached out and cupped the side of her face, leaning down to kiss her lips in the same moment. For her part, Iden didn't fight it. She gripped his arms, and she considered pushing him away, but she didn't._

_She closed her eyes instead. It was only a matter of time; if he hadn't, then she would have done it. This was what she had been afraid it was leading up to, but it was here and couldn't be stopped._

_Iden pulled back, breathing deep to catch up for the oxygen lost, and she looked up at his brow knit in concern. "We can't. You know it."_

_"I know it. But we're here for a reason," Del said. He smiled back at her. "You feel it too, don't you?"_

_Tightening her lips, she reached for him and pulled him closer, kissing him again._

_Iden had spent so much time creating trust with the Partisans and playing to their strengths and weaknesses, and guarding herself against them at the same time for when her mission was over and she had to go back and they would be gone. She considered Del, and how the people of the Empire were good and someone like Del was the enemy. And she considered her father's position standing above all of them and looking down. Where did Iden really stand?_

\--

Iden stood outside of the detention cell, waiting for the door to open, and reached for the corner of Del's hand.

They would be watched the minute they entered the detention block, but the few seconds that it took Tanus to enter the stolen security codes they had to themselves. Both of them stood closely behind Tanus, watching for anyone who might come upon them. Del wasn't looking at her, but as she curled her pinky around his, he brought his helmet back in her direction.

She couldn't see his face, but she swore he was smiling under the stormtrooper helmet. She smiled back under hers. Del moved his hand closer, risking another second to intertwine more of their fingers before the door suddenly slid open.

Both of them let go. Nothing happened and no one saw. Their world didn't come crashing down yet. As Iden breathed in, she set herself for the job ahead of them and felt Del do the same.

They had rehearsed it as much as they could, without ever seeing the inside of the facility. Tanus moved fluidly, but he was anxious. Even with the helmet's HUD display being different from naked eyes, Iden could see the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He would be repeating the protocols in his head.

Check in with the first guard posting. Hand over the forged orders from Dio. If there is a second guard post, go no further and wait for them to bring Hask out; otherwise go to his cell and wait for the guard to unlock it. Assuming all went well, they should be in and out in a matter of minutes.

Then she would have to decide what to do about Hask. Maybe it would be better if they failed to get him out at all, but with Del and the risk of his brand--she felt like it was a beacon burning through his armor and saying this man is a Force-user. She couldn't risk the mission failing, even if it meant Hask would be back among them.

In fact, every guard that passed by or even looked at them made her skin crawl and she expected someone to come rip the armor plating off of his arm and blow the entire operation wide open. Then Del would be gone. There was a certain thrill to being in the middle of an undercover operation and getting away with it, but this was not thrilling. Instead, it was nerve-wracking.

Del, on the other hand, was a source of calm. He seemed very much at home standing by her side and watching the activity of guards, prisoners and officers coming and going. A pair of guards escorted a shackled prisoner right next to them; one of them nodded to them and Del nodded back.

Iden breathed out. How much had her world changed that she would think all of this about a Rebel. But, unlike Danic, or even Hask, Del wanted to achieve balance and peace. That seemed like an acceptable goal.

They found the security checkpoint inside of the detention center and after a deep breath, Tanus headed up toward it with his pair of stormtroopers in tow. Iden could practically see him rehearsing the plans in his head. Check in at the first security checkpoint. Get past the first one. Then worry about the rest.

He had no sooner opened his mouth though than the security barrier opened and a new pair of guards stepped out, along with an officer, and Gideon Hask. The stormtroopers pushed between Del and Iden, causing them to scramble, and in mid-conversation with Hask, the officer nearly ran Tanus over before stopping and excusing himself.

Iden's heart hammered and she considered reaching for her blaster. Any move toward a weapon in a detention area would get them killed for sure. But, kriff. Gideon was already out.

Tanus's eyes grew wide as he looked up at Hask and he stood frozen for too long of a second before remembering that he was an officer and he needed to salute. "C-Commander Hask," he stammered. "Sir. We were just coming to get you. For the admiral."

The officer with Hask frowned. "Which admiral. Versio? He was here this morning; surely if he needed anything, he would have said then?"

Holding up his hand, Hask shook his head. "Don't underestimate Admirals and their ability to summon people on a whim," he said easily. He nodded to Tanus. "I'll be with you in one moment."

Tanus barely avoided scrambling back into the stormtroopers, causing Del and Iden to step back less than gracefully. Iden could feel the eyes on them already. But, how the hell was Hask out already? As he laughed and shook the other officer's hand, offering his goodbye, Iden looked up at Del and he at her. Then Hask walked over to join them.

"Alright. Let's see the admiral," he said in an even tone.

They made it outside without further incident; no one stopped them, or even gave Hask a second glance. Iden didn't like not knowing what happened. She knew what _should_ have happened and this was not a valid outcome.

Even Del's strides were a little longer, eager to get somewhere that they could talk. As soon as they were out of sight of the detention center door, Hask yanked Tanus down another corridor and waited for the others. Del pulled his helmet off quickly.

"What the hell are you three doing here?" Hask demanded, creasing his brow.

"We were coming to break you out," Tanus said, shaking his head. "I thought you'd be happier about it."

"When you risked setting off this whole station? No."

"We didn't expect you to get out on your own." Del chewed the inside of his lip. "How did they let you out?"

Iden frowned. Del's concern, Tanus' surprise, and Hask's irritation that they were even there. But then suddenly she found herself the in the focus of Hask's gaze. Not Del, his friend, nor Tanus who was already questioning him. Hask focused on her. Iden hardened her expression.

"I'll tell you when we get back," Hask said. "Let's go. That wasn't much of a show you lot put on."

He held her eyes for a second longer and then broke away. Iden narrowed her eyes in return. Now was the time to consider all of her back-up plans.


End file.
